AMG Review of Thank You St. Jude

Denise Sullivan
All Music Guide

Fans of Case's captivating live shows have asked for this 13-song collection for years: It features rearranged acoustic versions of some of his most memorable songs, recorded in the stripped-down format in which he customarily bangs them out on the road hundreds of nights a year. Recorded in three afternoon sessions and accompanied only by a fiddle, Case reels and rocks through "Ice Water" from his self-titled debut album, a host of titles ("Put Down the Gun," "Two Angels," "Entella Hotel," and others) from his watershed acoustic music record, Blue Guitar, and various covers like the wailing Sleepy John Estes song "Someday Blues" and the previously unrecorded rocker "One More Mile." Without a doubt, Case is at the top of his form in the vocal department, with his voice reaching further than it ever did during his already-impressive younger days in the Plimsouls. This disc is an essential part of the Case catalog -- a document of the state of the acoustic rock nation he had a hand in reviving in the mid-'80s and a testament to the evolution and staying power of his compositions. At the same time, new fans, particularly of acoustic folk, will find this a good introduction to the rich catalog of one of the most hardworking and consistently innovative songwriters in the hard-rockin' folk section.