AMG Review of Agony of Laffitte

Bryan Carroll
All Music Guide

This CD single is Britt Daniel's hostile response to betrayal at the hands of Elektra records' alleged A&R man Ron Laffitte. The two tunes here utilize the wonderful technique of mismatching their components' moods; that is to say, the music and melodies are downright beautiful while the lyrics are scathingly angry. They find Daniel wondering aloud about the unscrupulous rascal Laffitte, "it's like I knew/two of you man/the one before and after we shook hands" and "all I want to know/is are you ever honest with anyone?" Gracefully executed and cathartic, The Agony of Laffitte is possibly the best double-cross retaliation single in the history of rock, so effective that it's difficult to want to hear the villainized Laffitte's side of the story. The only question is, why was it reserved for 5" plastic and never pressed to wax?