Potato Hole (2009)

Image credit: Gary Copeland

The man in the Pink Tie: Booker T.

In the '60s, Booker T. and the MGs set the standard by which all soulfully rocking instrumental combos would be measured. Fifteen years after his last full-length album with that band, organist Booker T. returns to uphold the tradition he helped create, with spirited backing by Athens, Ga.'s Drive-By Truckers and old bud Neil Young (who contributes guitar to 9 of the CD's 10 tracks). No, nothing on Potato Hole is as unassailable as vintage MGs cuts like ''Green Onions'' and ''Time Is Tight.'' But the set's authoritative blend of grit and melody is mostly pretty ace — as are surprises like the sprightly run-through of OutKast's ''Hey Ya!'' B+

Download This: Listen to the song ''Native New Yorker'' on imeem.com

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