Search - Allen Toussaint :: Complete Warner Bros Recordings

The Mother Lode of NOLA's Greatest Songwriter

Miguel Gonzalez | OAK PARK, IL United States | 01/03/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Warning! This CD is a Rhino Hand Made release, which means there are very limited supplies ... buy it ASAP! Having said that, let's talk about why. First, Allen Toussaint is a living legend of the piano; he's a legendary producer, arranger and bandleader; and he's an immortal among songwriters. Under his own name or with the nom de plum "Naomi Neville" he wrote "Working in a Coal Mine," "Ride Your Pony," "Fortune Teller," "Sneakin' Sally Through the Alley" and many more. This is the definitive collection of his stellar 1970s solo albums "Southern Nights" (yes, the song made famous by Glen Campbell is a Toussaint original), "Life, Love and Faith" and "Motion." And what makes it particularly worthwhile are all the "deep tracks" you get. Sure there's a single CD collection that's really good, but it doesn't include the songs that weren't hit singles. They were album cuts back in the days when album cuts were meaningful and valuable. The individual albums are available on CD only as imports. So ... get thee to the shopping cart with this one before it's gone forever."