Out of Nowhere

Out of Nowhere

It’s a testament to Snooks Eaglin's authenticity that even at the peak of '80s-style synthetic production techniques he could still make a recording that had all the vim and vigor of a sweaty New Orleans bar just after midnight. Out of Nowhere might not have the organic production of Eaglin’s '60s and '70s work, but just listen to “Mailman Blues” and try to deny its irrepressible energy. Eaglin was often pigeonholed as a modern-day bluesman, but this 1989 release proves he was anything but ordinary. It’s not just that he's equally fervent about Charlie Christian–style electric swing (“Out of Nowhere”) and '70s-era street funk (The Isley Brothers' “It’s Your Thing”). It’s that he can take a Louis Armstrong standard like “Kiss of Fire” and reinvent it in his own image as an elastic flamenco arranged for solo guitar. Eaglin was living proof not only of New Orleans’ musical ingenuity but also of his unparalleled flair for individual style.

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