A respected sideman on the chitlin circuit for many years, Mississippian Johnny Rawls can play a straight blues like nobody's business - think Little Milton - but he's at his best laying back in the pocket, Memphis-style. His soulful approach is rooted in the Stax-Volt sound and injects a hip-shaking element into the blues. Some of his midtempo grooves lope so smoothly you could shag to 'em.