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Mose Allison basically retired from studio recording after 1998’s dynamite Gimcracks and Gewgaws. Retired, that is, until producer Joe Henry met him in 2008 and dogged him until he graciously caved in. He coaxed Allison into his basement studio and cut the seven originals and five covers that became The Way of the World with a host of players from his own stable in five days. At 82, Allison is as smart, cagey, and inventive as ever. All but one of these cuts feature his weathered but still wiry dry baritone voice that exudes a trademark jazz singer cum beat poet’s phrasing. For anyone who’s seen him in the last decade -- or heard his jaw-dropping Live in London recordings -- his keyboard skills are sharp as an Argentine stiletto. Allison's elastic harmonic sense is as beautifully unruly as Monk's, yet his improvisational ideas are carried by a nimble-fingered force worthy of Bud Powell. The Way of the World is not a comeback album; Henry had a nagging suspicion that Allison might have something new to say and Allison obliged. In the process they created a gem of an album that proves the pianist and songwriter still has many tricks up his elegantly tailored, eternally hip sleeve.
Condition: Brand New Factory Sealed
TRACK LISTING
1 My Brain 2:59
2 I Know You Didn't Mean It 3:28
3 Everybody Thinks You're an Angel 2:58
4 Let It Come Down 2:31
5 Modest Proposal 2:29
6 Crush 2:55
7 Some Right, Some Wrong 2:48
8 The Way of the World 2:50
9 Ask Me Nice 3:19
10 Once In a While 3:32
11 I'm Alright 3:11
12 This New Situation 2:08
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