Along with journeyman guitarist Fred Jordan and drummer Philip Paul (a familiar face at the King studios through his work with Tiny Bradshaw), Smothers was set to lay down tracks and soon found himself in the added company of Freddy King, who was signed to the same label and slated to record the next day. Of the twelve tracks recorded, half were written by Smokey; I Can't Judge Nobody, Come On Rock Little Girl, Smokey's Lovesick Blues, Crying Tears, Midnight And Day, and What Am I Going To Do. One was written by Sonny Thompson, Honey I Ain't Teasin', King's house piano player who also had a hand in co-writing a number of Freddy King singles, and five came from the pen of Armand "Jump" Jackson, a Chicago drummer who had worked extensively in the 1940's and 50's; You're Gonna Be Sorry, I've Been Drinking Muddy Water, Blind And Dumb Man Blues, I Ain't Gonna Be No Monkey Man No More, and the hilarious (What I Done For You) Give It Back, including the memorable closing verse:

"Give me back that wig I bought you, give me back your one glass eye. Give me back those teeth I loaned you, don't even say goodbye, When I take my pegleg, you gonna fall right down and cry."

While the aim was to have Smothers compete with Jimmy Reed's lazy style, Smokey proved himself to be a highly individual artist and solid writer. His minor-key Crying Tears] is an emotional plea unlike anything in Reed's own catalog, while [i]Come On Rock Little Girl[/i] is a thumping backbeat shuffle, and [i]I Can't Judge Nobody[/i] is a brilliant slice of courtroom testimony:

"Well, I'm no prosecutor and I ain't no judge, and I can't condemn you, baby, for what I heard. I can't judge nobody, I can't judge nobody, because I may be wrong."

Freddy King stands tall throughout the session providing some highly interesting and smoldering guitar, especially on [i]Monkey Man[/i] and [i]You're Gonna Be Sorry,[/i] and if not exceptional, Smothers' own guitar work, and that of Jordan's, is effective and in-the-pocket. Philip Paul's drumming is simply astounding on the twelve original King sides; whether offering crisp beats or delivering slow blues, and his timing marks rhythmic perfection, it's a clinic of press rolls, bombs, and crashes.

Smothers returned to the King studios in February of 1962, this time towing Jimmy Malender on drums and Louis "Little" Boyd on harp, in addition to a second guitarist (not mentioned in Bill Dahl's otherwise informative notes), and Smokey handled four more songs; Hello Little Schoolgirl, Way Up In The Mountains Of Kentucky, Twist With Me Annie, and a jarring The Case Is Closed, another fine example of legal jargon. Without Freddy King's guitar in this lineup, there's a bit more of a juke-joint feel, but each track shows Smothers was a superbly confident vocalist with a touch of tongue-tied delivery.

The balance of the disc is made up of nine alternate takes from the 1960 recording date that remained in the King vaults for over forty years, and these are no less interesting than the issued sides. King steps out a bit more here and there, and a few incomplete takes are included, but as with offerings of this sort, it's more than pleasant to hear an actual session in progress, even if it does contain an occasional wart. Sound quality is stellar and easily surpasses the nefarious Official label's entry a number of years ago, and although that was welcomed at the time, Ace continues with their usual high standards. Otis "Big Smokey" Smothers maintained his gutbucket blues approach until his death in 1993, while his younger brother, "Little Smokey," continues on today. Smokey Smothers Sings The Backporch Blues is highly recommended! www.acerecords.co.uk]www.acerecords.co.uk

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