Alabama Wild Man

AMG Review of Alabama Wild Man

Al Campbell
All Music Guide

Actor, singer, and guitar man Jerry Reed blurred the line between country and pop music from the late '60s through the '70s while occasionally throwing in the odd novelty record for good measure. Released in 1968, Alabama Wild Man was one of the earliest examples of his crossover appeal. Reed played what he liked, had a good time doing it, and made records strictly to entertain. However, that didn't mean he was creating one-dimensional music, proven here by the contemplative lyrics of "Today Is Mine" and "Losing Your Love," the Jimmy Reed-inspired instrumental "Twelve Bar Midnight," and the autobiographical title track featuring punchy boogaloo horns with country pickin'. As a side note, the addition of Reed's laid-back version of the Monkees' hit "Last Train to Clarksville" was recorded three decades before Cassandra Wilson would do the same for the song in the jazz world in 1995.