Recorded shortly before his untimely death and after his departure from Little Feat, Lowell George's only solo album was not particularly well received, mostly because of its high-gloss production and dearth of slide guitar. Nearly three decades on, though, Thanks I'll Eat it Here wonderfully captures the crumbling genius' deeply soulful vocals and quirky songwriting. Along with the faux Weill-esque swing of "Himmler's Ring" and the south-of-the-border playfulness of "Cheek to Cheek," you get the touching acoustic ballad "20 Million Things." George also brings his singular charisma to Rickie Lee Jones' "Easy Money," Ann Peebles' "Can't Stand the Rain" and Allen Toussaint's "What Do You Want the Girl to Do."
This article appears in Jul 11-17, 2007.