Tony Joe White Smoke From The Chimney 180g LP

TAS Rated 4/5 Music, 4/5 Sonics in the July/August 2021 Issue of The Absolute Sound!

Tony Joe White's posthumous album, Smoke from the Chimney, brings to life previously unknown home recordings by the legendary songwriter and musician. A pioneer of the Louisiana swamp rock sound, White's eclectic legacy has persevered through decades of influence, covers and popular culture. Starting with the album's genesis as an unforeseen trove of demos to the hands of producer Dan Auerbach and legendary session musicians, Smoke from the Chimney captures Tony Joe White's signature style in its purest form and serves as a living testimony to one of the most gifted lyricists and storytellers music has ever known.

This album was a product of love and admiration for Tony Joe White, and Smoke from the Chimney honors his legacy while reminding us the tunes he left on the shelf are more effective and compelling than the emphasis cuts on most other songwriter's albums.

Often posthumous music collections seem inconsistent and piecemeal, but not so with Tony Joe White's Smoke from the Chimney. This new nine-song stockpile of demos recorded in White's home studio before his death in 2018 resonates with the same laid-back charm and bluesy gravitas of his best material. Credit must also be given to Dan Auerbach, who enhanced some spare demos with a full band's dynamic accompaniment. On White's final batch of songs, Auerbach wisely makes Tony Joe's lowdown, baritone growl the center of focus. 'Boot Money' chugs with an ominous groove, all juke joint menace, as Auerbach's distorted electric guitar snakes around Tony Joe's gruff vocal. A melodic ballad with country overtones, 'Del Rio, You're Making Me Cry' weds a farewell lyric with Mireya Ramos' lush background vocals and Billy Sanford's gut-string guitar solo. In the midtempo 'Listen to Your Song,' an apropos tune about songwriting and creating your own story, White shows us what he's known all along: the power of music can change not only moods but lives.