''That Woman Is Poison!'' is an album by the American musician

Rufus Thomas Rufus C. Thomas, Jr. (March 26, 1917 – December 15, 2001) was an American rhythm-and-blues, funk, soul and blues singer, songwriter, dancer, DJ and comic entertainer from Memphis, Tennessee. He recorded for several labels, including Chess Re ...

. Originally recorded for King Snake Records, the album was released in 1988 via

Alligator Records Alligator Records is an American, Chicago-based independent blues record label founded by Bruce Iglauer in 1971. Iglauer was also one of the founders of the '' Living Blues'' magazine in Chicago in 1970. History Iglauer started the label using ...

. Thomas was in his seventies when he made ''That Woman Is Poison!''

Production

The backing band was put together by Bob Greenlee, the owner of King Snake. The musicians included the saxophonist

Noble "Thin Man" Watts Noble "Thin Man" Watts (February 17, 1926 – August 24, 2004) was an American blues, jump blues and rhythm and blues saxophonist. He primarily played tenor saxophone. The AllMusic journalist, Bill Dahl, considered Watts "one of the most incendi ...

and the harmonica player

Lazy Lester Leslie Johnson (June 20, 1933 – August 22, 2018), known as Lazy Lester, was an American blues musician who sang and played the harmonica and guitar. In a career spanning the 1950s to 2018, he pioneered swamp blues, and also played harmonic ...

. ''That Woman Is Poison!'' was recorded in

Sanford, Florida Sanford is a city and the county seat of Seminole County, Florida, United States. It is located in Central Florida and its population was 61,051 as of the 2020 census. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford Metropolitan Statistical ...

. Thomas asked

Robert Palmer Robert Allen Palmer (19 January 1949 – 26 September 2003) was an English singer and songwriter. He was known for his powerful and soulful voice, sartorial elegance and stylistic explorations, combining soul, funk, jazz, rock, pop, regga ...

to write the liner notes. "The Walk" jokingly alludes to both Thomas's age and his previous dance hits "The Funky Chicken" and " Walking the Dog".

Critical reception

The ''

Chicago Reader The ''Chicago Reader'', or ''Reader'' (stylized as ЯEADER), is an American alternative newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, noted for its literary style of journalism and coverage of the arts, particularly film and theater. The ''Reader'' has been ...

'' thought that Thomas "grinds out his blues with a sweaty crunch that puts to shame men 30 years his junior, and his sense of humor is as wicked as ever." ''

The Crisis ''The Crisis'' is the official magazine of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). It was founded in 1910 by W. E. B. Du Bois (editor), Oswald Garrison Villard, J. Max Barber, Charles Edward Russell, Kelly M ...

'' wrote that "Thomas uses a traditional blues sound, but struts his way through the vocals with a characteristic smirk." The ''

Edmonton Journal The ''Edmonton Journal'' is a daily newspaper published in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It is part of the Postmedia Network. History The ''Journal'' was founded in 1903 by three local businessmen — John Macpherson, Arthur Moore and J.W. Cunn ...

'' determined that Thomas's "voice still contains the same rich textures as in the past, yet it lacks a sense of urgency." ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

'' called Thomas "still a great singer, with a full, throaty voice and a great sense of comic timing." The ''

Sun Sentinel The ''Sun Sentinel'' (also known as the ''South Florida Sun Sentinel'', known until 2008 as the ''Sun-Sentinel'', and stylized on its Nameplate (publishing), masthead as ''SunSentinel'') is the main daily newspaper of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, ...

'' praised the "blistering" original songs, and wrote that the "horn work and arrangements are first rate." The ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'' concluded that, "despite his years, Thomas is in top voice and spirit as he blusters, struts, hams it up, deftly draws from both Memphis blues and soul."

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

deemed it "a masterful comeback album from a blues and soul veteran who was assumed to be ready for the retirement home."

Track listing

Personnel

*Rufus Thomas - vocals *Bryan Bassett, Ernie Lancaster - guitar *Louis Villery - bass guitar *Bob Greenlee - bass guitar, baritone saxophone *

Lucky Peterson Judge Kenneth "Lucky" Peterson (December 13, 1964 – May 17, 2020) was an American musician who played contemporary Blues music, blues, fusing soul music, soul, Rhythm and blues, R&B, gospel music, gospel and rock and roll. He was a vocalist, g ...

- keyboards *Danny Best - drums *Kenny Neal - harmonica *

- tenor saxophone solos *Lawson "Buzz" Montsinger - tenor saxophone *Sylvester Polk - trumpet

References

{{Authority control Rufus Thomas albums 1988 albums Alligator Records albums