AMG Review of Essentials

James Christopher Monger
All Music Guide

True fans of the good Doctor either have more than a smattering of individual releases like Gris-Gris, Dr. John's Gumbo, and In the Right Place, or they have Rhino's excellent Mos' Scocious: Anthology, but listeners looking for a solid entry point into the long career of the storied New Orleans fixture will find WSM's Essentials to be the perfect set of audio CliffsNotes. From "Right Place, Wrong Time" to "Such a Night," this 12-track slice of Southern hospitality is best played when the weather gets hot and greasy.