Raw ('That Little Ol' Band From Texas' Original Soundtrack)＜Tangerine Vinyl＞

Pay attention to the "raw" designation in RAW: That Little Ol Band from Texas, the 2022 album that purports to be the soundtrack to the 2019 documentary That Little Ol Band from Texas. Within the movie is a segment capturing ZZ Top playing a show at Gruene Hall, famously hailed as "the oldest continually run dance hall in Texas." That set is presented here on RAW: That Little Ol Band from Texas, an album that winds up being a more valuable document than expected thanks to the fact that it captures the classic lineup of ZZ Top playing a bunch of down-and-dirty blues just a few years before the passing of bassist of Dusty Hill in 2021. While the group doesnt sound as spry as they did in the 1970s or 80s -- the rhythms are a little heavier, the growl in Billy Gibbons voice is quite gravelly -- its enjoyable to hear how theyre playing as a band of old pros. Theyve performed these songs countless times -- its not all the hits, but as they run through "Just Got Paid," "Heard it on the X," "La Grange," "Tush, "Im Bad, Im Nationwide," and "Legs," it feels like they are -- but theres still energy and a palpable joy in how they launch into a groove or extend themselves in a jam and its still a wonder to hear Gibbons solo. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine