Pressure Drop

The very embodiment of “blue-eyed soul,” singer Robert Palmer was the rare white boy who had the pipes to handle whatever type of Black music was thrown at him, the taste to select songs to showcase that voice, and the ears to pick the best backing band (like the Meters or Compass Point house band). On this album, it’s Little Feat doing the heavy lifting and Lowell George’s rock/gospel/New Orleans soul-flavored guitar delivers a stunning version of Allen Toussaint’s “Riverboat” and a tangy take on the Toots & the Maytals’ title track.