Koko Taylor - The Earthshaker (1978)

01. Let the Good Times Roll 3:00
02. Spoonful 3:00
03. Walking the Back Streets 6:45
04. Cut You Loose 3:24
05. Hey Bartender 2:51
06. I'm a Woman 4:36
07. You Can Have My Husband 2:45
08. Please Don't Dog Me 5:16
09. Wang Dang Doodle 4:51

Koko Taylor (vocals); 
Johnny B. Moore, Sammy Lawhorn (guitar); 
Mervyn "Harmonica" Hinds (harmonica); 
Abb Locke (saxophone); 
Pinetop Perkins (keyboards); 
Cornelius "Mule" Boyson (bass), 
Vince Chappelle (drums).

Koko Taylor's second Alligator album from 1978 features eight blues standards and one self-composed number. As the title implies, the tempo is up. Subtle nuances give way to raw power. There's a remake of Taylor's only major R&B hit, "Wang Dang Doodle," amid like-minded floorshakers ("Let the Good Times Roll," "Spoonful," "Hey Bartender," and "You Can Have My Husband,") The band is very much in tune with the stated goals, and the solos are short and to-the-point. It has to be said that this music works better in concert than on record, but Taylor's protean energy goes a long way toward compensating for the inherent sterility of records. ---Colin Escott, Editorial Review

There is barely a single weak moment on Koko Taylor's 1978 LP. Sure, her remakes of "I'm A Man" (as "I'm A Woman") and "Wang Dang Doodle" are less than innovative, but everything else is just plain great. And Taylor is backed by an excellent combo which includes guitarists Johnny Moore and Sammy Lawhorn, saxist Abb Locke, and the legendary Joe "Pinetop" Perkins on the piano.

Very few people can cover Howlin' Wolf and get away with it, but Koko Taylor does as good as anybody on a really solid "Spoonful", and her swaggering renditions of Mel London's "Cut You Loose" and the saucy Irma Thomas-single "You Can Have My Husband" are just magnificent. "Let The Good Times Roll" and "Hey Bartender" still pop up on her set list today, and the self-penned slow blues "Please Don't Dog Me" is one of Taylor's best original songs. You really can't go wrong with any of Taylor's excellent recordings for Alligator records, but this one is as good as any of them, a must-have for fans, and casual listeners should find a lot to love as well. "The Earthshaker" is one great, well-arranged blues record with plenty of highlights and virtually no let-downs. ---Docendo Discimus, amazon.com

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