Track Listing

1. Fast And Free
2. Stackolina
3. I Got Loaded
4. Muddy Bottom Blues
5. When A Cajun Man Gets The Blues
6. Too Sweet For Me
7. Down In The Swamp
8. These Arms Of Mine
9. Dog Hill
10. Her Mind Is Gone
11. Loves Lips
12. Let Love Take Control
13. Georgia

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #122376 in Music
• Released on: 2002-03-26
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds

Amazon.com
Swampy and funky are words you don't want to hear describing your basement, but when applied to a musician of Tab Benoit's caliber, they offer high praise indeed. On Wetlands, Benoit pays tribute to the many varieties of blues from his home state of Louisiana: the bayou boogie of "Down in the Swamp," the zydeco soul of Boozoo Chavis's "Dog Hill," the down-home acoustic blues of "Georgia," and the New Orleans beat of "Let Love Take Control." Benoit's rough but soulful voice bears the mark of too many gigs in smoky roadhouses, but it's a perfect match for his masterful guitar playing. He really knows how to make six strings grumble, growl, shriek, and sing. The one weak spot on this CD is Benoit's lyrics, which rarely rise above the level of cliché. But as his skillful performance shows, it's not the words you say or the chords you play, it's how you say them and how you play them that make all the difference. --Michael Simmons

Customer Reviews

Cajun Blues!
While Tab Benoit is easily one of my top 20 favorite blues performers, his latest release "Wetlands", took me a little time to appreciate. For those that have seen Benoit perform know just what a high octane performance he is capable of delivering. Lot's of sweat and string breaking are a common occurance. This CD, however, is a different type of Benoit release, one that is a little more subdued.

On "Wetlands", Benoit returns to his Cajun roots and pays tribute to the likes of Boozoo Chavis on "Dog Hill", Professor Longhair's former bass player David Watson on "Her Mind Is Gone" and his grandfather Nat Babin on "Stackolina". Tab does come out of the tribute mode to return to top guitar form on the hard driving "Muddy Water Blues" and the slow blues numbers "Love Lips" and "Let Love Take Control" . Another high note on the CD is "Georgia" which features some acoustic guitar and vocals by Anders Osborne. Finally, not to be overlooked is the fine performance by Tab on Peppermint Harris' "I Got Loaded". Overall, it's not the Tab we have come to know lately (Nice and Warm or These Blues Are All Mine"), but it's an enjoyable CD in it's own right.

Down & Dirty
Wetlands is Tab's best Cd so far! I have been a huge Tab fan for 6 years, I own every Cd and I must say He's got the blues down pat, with his mellow down-&-dirty style in Wetlands! Tab's addicting guitar sounds leave you wondering when his next CD is coming out! Tab has Awesome talent!! This is a cd you can put in and play start to finish! (Which is hard to find these days!).....The last song on the Cd Georgia is Spectacular!!! Tab is a Down & Dirty Cajun....His voice & Guitar!! He is also Gorgeous..but I hear he is recently married =-(..I plan to book Tab Benoit for our Wedding! I guarantee you will like this Cd! Good Work Tab Keep the Blues Coming!!!!!!!

Another great Tab album
Once again, Tab hits the mark. This album is a little grittier than past Tab albums, and the production is a little rougher (in a good way). Excellent songs, including a couple that Tab performs but hasn't recorded. The last song, a trio effort with Anders Osborne and Brian Stolz (funky Meters) is a treat. Highly recommended !