Intense John Lee Hooker style grooves!!!! You wouldn't expect songs about social injustice and the struggle for racial unity to boom out of an Alabama juke joint, but singer-guitarist Willie King is as much activist as bluesman, with a history of community work dating back to the '60s. He's also a warm-voiced singer with the soulful phrasing of a country preacher and a knack for plucking raw tones and economical tunes from the heart of his six string. His album combines beauty and intellect without sacrificing joy. Even while King begs "Will you please hear my call/America, let's come together" in "America," the groove slinks around the dance floor and gets goosed by a sweet-toned solo that fades into a symbolic coupling with a funky sax. "You So Evil," King's growlin' tribute to Howlin' Wolf, and "The Stomper," an ode to a lead-footed dancer in an Arkansas juke joint King frequents, are pure shots of roughhouse blues.

1. Living In A New World

2. Crawlin' Blues

3. The Stomper

4. America

5. You So Evil

6. All Tied Up

7. You Got To Have Love

8. Ain't Gonna Work

9. Is It My Imagination

10. Terrorized

11. The Blues Life (monologue)