I GOT WHAT IT TAKES

Few artists better fit Alligator Records' avowed house policy of "House Rockin' Music" than Koko Taylor. What she lacked in subtlety she made up in raw authority. This was her Alligator debut after several years on Chess, and it established the formula she would use from that point onward. The focus is on mid- and uptempo songs. The band, led in this instance by Mighty Joe Young, is tight and rocking, and just one song breaks four minutes. Blues standards, such as "Mama He Treats Your Daughter Mean" and "Big Boss Man," are mixed with self-composed numbers like "Voodoo Woman." The only surprise is country star Webb Piece's "Honky-Tonk Song." The formula would eventually wear thin, but it works splendidly here. --Colin Escott