Amazon.comCollecting work from the early '60s, Crawfish Soiree captures Dr. John at a time when he was still known as Mac Rebennack and was still searching for a musical identity. Many of these recordings are demos, and they sound it: the piano isn't always in tune, and his band has trouble finding a groove, with Rebennack's voice slipping in and out of key. But you can hear him learning to flip words in clever ways and watch him skip from genre to genre: gospel ("A Little Close to My Home"), blues ("Make Your Own"), and even country ("Mean Cheatin' Woman"). Crawfish works best when he adds some N'awlins spice to the mix. Especially good are "Woman Is the Root of All Evil," "Shoo Ra," and a cover of Professor Longhair's "Baldhead" with a full Dixieland band and a steel guitar. Sounds strange, works beautifully. --Keith Moerer