Of the handful of albums that were released during Lightnin’ Slim’s lifetime, and the dozen or so collections that have been released since his passing, this is the last album I would have chosen to reissue. During the ’50s and ’60s, Lightnin’ Slim was Louisiana’s godfather of gutbucket blues; his Crowley recordings epitomized “the sound of the swamp.” However, the recordings that comprise High & Low Down (recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama) more resemble “the sound of the suburbs,” as Slim is forced to take a pedestrian walk through several past glories and some ill-chosen covers.

Originally recorded in the early ’70s and touted as a comeback album, its producer, Jerry Williams (a.k.a. Swamp Dogg), just didn’t know when to leave well enough alone. Haunting starkness and simplicity was the signature of Lightnin’s classic recordings. However, as evident on the opener, “Rooster Blues,” po’ Lightnin’ gets buried by a fuzz-tone guitar, a horn section and an overly zealous keyboard player. Granted, Lightnin’s chops are still in good shape, and “Bad Luck Blues’ and “G. I. Blues” aren’t nearly as heavy handed, but like the old adage—”you can’t beat the original.” Covers like “Things I Used To Do” and “My Babe” go no place in a hurry. The only good thing I can say about this CD is that it plays out in less than half-an-hour. Despite B.B. King’s seal of approval, cross this off your shopping list.