This 1996 album comes almost 40 years after his Top 25 hit "Peanuts." There are six studio tracks, beginning with the title tune, and five live performances from the Boston club the Cantab, ending with "Lady From the Beauty Shop." In between is classic rock & roll fused with R&B. "Give It to Me," despite the barroom recording, is tremendous. Hearing this record is evidence of why college kids year after year get turned on to Little Joe Cook and his following continues to expand. Cook is as serious an artist as you will find. "Give It to Me" is powerful R&B, not the reggae J. Geils song of the same name. "King of Rock & Roll" is Cook's tribute to Elvis Presley. It works on many levels by a gentleman who was a contemporary of Presley's. The live version of "Hold Up, Stickem Up," another title also represented here by a studio version, simply rocks. This would be great for Jay Proctor of Jay & the Techniques as it has that "Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie" vibe. As Willie Alexander immortalized Boston's Rathskellar on the Live at the Rat album with a song called "At the Rat," Cook pens "Down at the Cantab." It's an anthem that could fit nicely into a film of this important artist's life, which should center on his extraordinary nightclub run. Some of the album is disco, which may seem out of place in 1996, but Cook knows his audience. "Can't Get Enough" is pure Little Joe Cook & the Thrillers: earthy vocals, commanding bass, and the performance honed night after night in this intimate arena. It's classic Cook, and one of the highlights of this disc. "Lady From the Beauty Shop" is a song for Cook's wife -- and a trip to the Cantab brings you into his family. At his seventy-eighth birthday party in March 2001, Shirley Lewis, Weeping Willie, members of the Platters and Harold Melvin's the Blue Notes showed up to pay their respect. Lady From the Beauty Shop is an accurate picture of an important R&B figure, and is a fun listening experience. ~ Joe Viglione, All Music Guide
