And Then!

Overall Album Score: 8.6 out of 10

This one is better than their somewhat disappointing Soul Dressing. The fun's back and the songs all make highly enjoyable listens. I am quite pleased! And, I'm sure 22-year-old Don Ignacio would have been pleased as well.

One thing that immediately struck me on my first listen was a few spots have a Rolling-Stones-esque riff, specifically "My Sweet Potato" and "One Mint Julep," which may be of interest to many rock fans! Again, I don't claim any authorty on rock 'n' roll history, so I'm not sure who influenced who. Maybe they influenced each other!

"Think" is a very distinctive song that features some mighty, mighty soloing from Booker T. Jones and Steve Cropper. That's probably my vote for best-of-album, but that's an extremely difficult distinction to make. "No Matter What Shape" has the fact that it's the most "pop-rock" in the album going for it too!

Naturally, this album focuses on the organ work and guitar work, but big fans of the bass guitar would probably find a lot to like out of these melody-based riffs! The drumming is fine too but nothing strikes me quite like "Soul Dressing" from their previous effort. Nonetheless, these were instrumentalists on top of the game in the '60s. They not only deserve recommendation for that, but their albums deserve to be heard!

Overall Album Score: 8.6 out of 10 (They're returning to fun and the more serious songs are getting better, but the whole experience still isn't perfect.)

Average Song Score: 8.7 (There are more than enough moments with good melodies, and it features more than its fair share of fantastic performances.)

Album Tilt: 8.5 (There's a few duller spots, but nothing major. It was more enjoyable than their previous album.) Artist Rating: 8.5 (Great instrumental work, and the songs their either covering or writing are getting better too.)

Track Reviews

My Sweet Potato 9.5/10

Alright, they're writing songs about vegetables. There's nothing wrong with that (*rolls eyes*). But isn't this song awesome, anyway? I just fall in love with that piano ... that bluesy sequence that has the fond resemblance of a Rolling Stones riff. This song is all about the piano. The bass and drums seem secondary to everything, but they're fine too. The bass chugs along nicely!

Jericho 9/10

Now, here's some of that electric organ that we all know this band for ... and oh, isn't that guitar just delicious? Thank god these guys can play their instruments!!!!!!! I'd imagine this stuff must've been quite inspirational to all those mop-topped British freaks.

No Matter What Shape 10/10

Maybe closer to pop rock than blues. There's some nice pop chords playing with the electric guitar as the organ does its solo. The middle of the song, the guitar takes over and gives a nice solo. The organ takes over in the final third (...the guitarist really delivers some nice licks here.) This is a highly enjoyable song, and it even has a great 'tune.' Verrrrrry enjoyable. It makes me happy!!!

One Mint Julep 8.5/10

The mid-tempo groove, reminiscent of "Green Onions," is another fine one and has a sense of self-assuredness. Another riff that reminds me of the Rolling Stones is placed in the middle of it. After that a nice, noodly guitar solo is added.

In the Midnight Hour 8/10

This is a fun song ... and an original song by these guys. I really like the melody. You'd think that they would have been hurting without a singer, but not so much. The heavy organ does seem, to me, to go a bit far.

Summertime 9.5/10

I didn't like this one at first, but it grew on me. It's an extremely slow and quiet song, but it has a great mood to it that seems to fit the song title! This also gives the instrumentalists to do some meaningful noodling. There's an instrumental explosion in the middle of this one that manages to grab me.

Working in a Coal Mine 9/10

Everybody knows this song. Well the original version of this song at least. And here's the instrumental version! It's as fun as the original and thankfully less Motown sounding. (Not that I hate Motown ... I just like this better!)

Don't Mess Up a Good Thing 8.5/10

An upbeat rock tune that features some nice organ work a rather playful electric guitar solo (featuring some funny slides). This is very enjoyable!

Think 10/10

This is a bold song with some interesting rhythm and some very solid solo work! This must be one of the song's better showcases of organ noodling and guitar work ...... there's some amazing stuff on here. This is also one of the album's bolder songs.

Taboo 7/10

This a fine song that also manages to showcase some of the drummer in a mini-solo. No, it's a decent solo. I can't say I'm a huge fan of this song overall, though. It doesn't come off exceedingly well, it seems. However, there's some really nice chords here, and ... yeah, the drumming is good, too. It's just not as inspiring as the other tracks.

Soul Jam 8/10

I like jam! I like it on toast! ... And I like it here! This is another one of the album's more upbeat tunes. The pounding of the organ at times sounds almost avant garde, but ... it's probably just the way that particular instrument sounds (...as a side note, he does end up changing the type of organ he plays in Hip-Hug Her). This is an upbeat tune and one of the album's more enjoyable ones.

Sentimental Journey 7.5/10

Just a little bit weak here. The song is one of the slower ones and I like the instrumental performances and the melody just fine .... I just find this a little weak and dull. Not really a great way to end this work, it seems, but at the same time this was the '60s and not album-oriented.

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