There’s always a point when the first song takes shape and you get the feeling. I was reading James Baldwin’s “Another Country” and was taken by a sense of how much courage it takes to fall in love, to give oneself over so completely to another person. It’s a little terrifying, crossing over that border. I took Baldwin’s title and the journey began.
The other songs followed and, in a way, they all share the quality of nakedness. “Strip”, the title cut, is a word with multiple layers of meaning—there’s emotional stripping and then there’s the clothing kind…..I love the way that track turned out, Eric’s snaky guitar line and the dirty drums, bass, and loops. “Empty” is for my late mother, although it’s not necessarily about her. I don’t claim to be able to write about what’s inside another person’s head. “Bound” is a story of long-time love, that delicious feeling of having the strands of your life entwined with someone else’s, twisting and turning and never letting go. My emotions have always been greatly affected by the weather, and I love nothing more than a hot, humid, lightning-on-the-horizon night…that’s how “The Storm” began. I also went for that feeling of the swamp (and the sound, with as much Fender vibrato as we could muster up) on “Love and Tenderness.” “Jungle Twist” is just a rave-up, destined to be an East Coast dance craze. “A Mighty, Mighty Man” was written years ago during the raw emotion of the war in Lebanon, and resurfaced after the events of the past two years. And “Tough and Tender” is maybe the most naked of all—a stripped-down track that frames a lover’s plea.

Choosing the covers was another kind of journey. I dedicated the entire CD to my friend, mentor, and musical brother Cub Koda, who passed in 2000. Cub would have played on this record were he still around with us in the flesh instead of in spirit. I’ve never known a ghost to play guitar, but if it were possible, I’m sure Cub would’ve figured out a way. He was a big fan of Alfred Luandrew, Sunnyland Slim, so “Highway 61” has tribute lyrics that I wrote for him. It’s true that Cub’s hometown, Detroit, isn’t on Highway 61 in reality—but in his heart, it was. Alfred Karnes’ version of “I Am Bound For The Promised Land” was cut originally at the Bristol Sessions in 1927, at the same time The Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers made their first recordings. “Daddy Rollin’ (In Your Arms)” is a Dion B-side that was written down in Florida with his cousin. He put in some Robert Johnson lyrics. That fascinates me. You couldn’t ask for two more unlikely partners than the Prince Of The Bronx and the King Of The Delta Blues—but here they are. And “I Can Only Give You Everything” is an original British Invasion tune that my producer, Doc Cavalier, had first recorded back in the sixties with a garage band from Connecticut. I thought it would be cool to update it.

The demo recordings and final studio takes were all handled by the stellar musicians in Rebel Montez-—Eric Fletcher, Michael Colbath, and Larry Donahue. Eric played lots of axes from his collection, including a nylon-string on “Strip,” and made them all sound fabulous. We call Mike “The Buddha Of The Bass”—his bass lines are so thoughtful; they carry weight. Larry went to school on Al Jackson, Jr.; he’s the rock and the foundation. Through multiple changes and reworkings of some of the songs, their constant creativity and flexibility amazed me. These guys are flash cats, and the real deal. Through all four of our records together, they have supported the songs and stories with fire and skill.
Two friends who worked on both The Hard Way and Wicked Time came on board. Shawn Pelton, my brother from The Saturday Night Live Band, called me with the idea of generating some organic loops that we could mix in with Larry’s kit. He particularly wanted to work on “Empty,” “Strip” and “Daddy Rollin’,” and I think he came up with stunning work on all three. Shawn is such a master of rhythm and nuance that I hope we will record together forever. Andy York, who just got through playing on an album of delta blues with John Mellencamp, channeled Blind Willie Johnson on “Daddy Rollin’,” seconding Eric’s powerful acoustic. Together, they played some pretty apocryphal stuff. That’s AY doing his best Pop Staples on “Love and Tenderness” and killing with his acoustic on “Empty” and “Tough and Tender.”

Also joining us were Brian Mitchell, who brought the great New Orleans keyboard chops and fine-tuned sense of swing that have fueled records by Irma Thomas, Al Green, and Rosanne Cash to bear on “Another Country,” “The Storm,” “I Can Only Give You Everything,” and “Jungle Twist”; Amanda Just, whose soulful viola graces “Empty” and “Highway 61”; The Sin Sisters, who worked out with me in the vocal booth on “The Storm”; and my wild, beautiful friend Joe Hurley, who brought his whiskey-soaked voice and renegade attitude to our duet on “I Can Only Give You Everything.” All the performances are deeply emotional and real, and I’m forever grateful.

Finally, a word about the man behind the board—Doc Cavalier. Doc is just simply a great producer, with wide-open ears and a head for hits. He’s always looking for the hook, the sting, the edge….. When he goes into the control room to mix, you know he’s out for blood and nothing else. He gets a sound on drums and bass that allows the whole track to ride on a big cushion, a big vibe. His treatment of guitars (and there are a LOT of ‘em on this record) is peerless. Check out the way he weaves them in and out on tracks like “Empty,” “Love and Tenderness” and “Daddy Rollin’ (In Your Arms).” I consider it a privilege to have had his knowledge and heart in my corner every step of the way.