The gumbo metaphor is undoubtedly overused when it comes to discussing New Orleans music, but there's simply no better way to describe the art of Snooks Eaglin. He was 61 when Baby You Can Get Your Gun was recorded, and he still represented the Crescent City’s musical melting pot better than just about any other artist. When Snooks took the stage, nothing was off limits. He could sing deep blues; he could swing like it was 1948; he could even throw down a sweaty hard-funk workout like “Drop the Bomb!” He could wear anything and look good. The audience never questioned his motives, because no matter what rhythm he was playing with, his voice was the unflappable anchor. Though if Eaglin had the voice of a sweetened everyman, his guitar playing was anything but typical. A classically trained guitarist could study the recording for decades and still wouldn't comprehend the way that Eaglin’s fingers skitter across the strings when he unleashes the Latin-tinged instrumental “Profidia.” And yet even when he’s flirting with exotic themes, Eaglin always operates as a wholly and distinctly New Orleanian entity.