Fats Domino - Greatest Hits: Walking To New Orleans

Before the levees broke and Fats Domino was counted among the missing of New Orleans, his career wasn't exclusive to the music of that city. That's changed now, he being among the survivors and his music has been given a historic authenticity. In my view, Fats Domino doesn't need New Orleans any more than Elvis Presley needed Tupelo, Mississippi or Bob Dylan needs Hibbing, Minnesota. Fats belongs alongside Jerry Lee Lewis and Louis Jordan, not Jelly Roll Morton and Professor Longhair. To be sure, his success as a hitmaker sent the flock of A&R buzzards to New Orleans in search of an R&B sound specific to that city, but Little Richard was the only artist they found who was in the same league as Fats. One of the best things about this compilation is that the songs haven't been re-mastered into sterility. Although the 30 tracks, recorded in varying frequencies from 1950-1961, have been tweaked to make the listening experience less jolting, the sound is still rough and raw. [www.fatsdominoonline.com]