Train I'm On

Originally released in 1972, THE TRAIN I'M ON built on the swamp pop boogie of Tony Joe White's hits up to that point in favor of a more richly textured and emotionally varied sound closer to old-fashioned Mississippi Delta country blues. Playing an acoustic guitar instead of his usual twangy electric, White achieves an intimacy on songs like the haunted title track and the yearning "If I Ever Saw A Good Thing," and sounds like the missing link between Robert Johnson and Van Morrison. It isn't all pensive blues, however: the rollicking "300 Pounds of Hongry" is one of White's most playful tunes ever.