After merging with The Meters for his New Orleans–flavored first album, Robert Palmer and his creative partner Lowell George relocated to Los Angeles for the follow-up. Though Pressure Drop lacks some of the bayou piquancy that made Sneakin’ Sally Through the Alley a classic, it gained a different kind of soulfulness. Backed by George’s band Little Feat—as well as a host of L.A.’s finest session musicians—Palmer affirmed his burgeoning reputation as a bandleader with impeccable taste. With juicy and restless rhythms, “Pressure Drop” (a cover of Toots & The Maytals’ Jamaican classic), “Here with You Tonight,” and the George original “Trouble” could be seen as outgrowths of the Little Feat aesthetic. But Palmer’s urbanity also let him dip into adult-oriented R&B in a way that his shaggy friends couldn't. Boosted by Motown session bassist James Jamerson, “Give Me an Inch” and “Back in My Arms” inhabit the rich orchestral soul of The O’Jays and The Spinners, while “Work to Make It Work” is as funky and fat-bellied as anything by Kool & The Gang.