Feats Don't Fail Me Now

If Dixie Chicken brought the first phase of Little Feat’s career to its climax, then Feats Don’t Fail Me Now was the beginning of a whole new chapter. The album is less invested in country and rock ‘n’ roll than it predecessors, and instead finds new inspiration in jazz and funk. On the whole, Feats has a smoother, more laid-back vibe than any of Little Feat’s previous records. The slinky, smoky grooves of “Skin It Back” and “Spanish Moon” have more in common with Sly Stone than anything by the Allman Brothers. Even as they evolved, the band found new ways to merge their old passions with their newfound inspirations. “Oh, Atlanta” and “Feats Don’t Fail Me Now” are patented pieces of roadhouse boogie, injected with the hot sauce of funk. However, the chunky rhythm and lyrical slide guitar of “Down the Road” showed that the band had no intention of leaving its past behind altogether. Anyone who needs to illustrate the difference between Little Feat in 1972 and Little Feat in 1974 has only to listen to the medley of “Cold Cold Cold” and “Tripe Face Boogie,” two Sailin’ Shoes-era chestnuts slowed down and served here with extra gravy.