1.One Track Mind
2.She Caught the Katy
3.Street Corner Serenade
4.Rock Steady; Lonely
5.Country Side of Life
6.Easy Street
7.Rendezvous With the Blues
8.Too Tall to Mambo
9.Lucy Was in Trouble
10.Leona
11.Same Old Moon
12.Grits Ain't Groceries
13.Keep on Smilin'

Jimmy Hall - lead vocals, sax, harmonica
Jack Hall - bass guitar, backing vocals
Donna Hall Foster - vocals, tambourine
TK Lively - drums; percussion
Ricky Chancey - electric and acoustic guitar
Ric Seymour - guitar, vocals
Bobby Mobley – keyboards

On Miles of Smiles, the reconstituted Wet Willie displays all the effervescent vigor of its previous concert discs Drippin' Wet (Capricorn, 1973) and Left Coast Live (Capricorn, 1977). In fact, the group sounds more authentic than ever, based on the maturity of musicianship displayed here.

Recorded with a current lineup including original members vocalist/saxophonist/harpist Jimmy Hall, brother bassist/co-producer Jack Hall and vocalist Donna Hall Foster, Wet Willie wastes no time digging into a groove for itself on "One Track Mind," where the good humor at the heart of its music is as evident as the deep pocket dug by bassist Hall and drummer T.K. Lively. These performances from August, 2011 in Woodstock, Georgia follow a formula similar to the original band's studio work and live releases by alternating originals and readily-recognizable roots tunes.

To this day though, Willie remains too naturally high-spirited a band to go through the motions, so while "She Caught The Katy" appears early in the set list, the group doesn't belabor its familiarity. Nor does the group overdo other selections from its original discography, including "Country Side of Life," "Leona" "Lucy Was in Trouble." Even its signature tune, "Keep On Smilin,'" isn't the longest cut on Miles of Smiles, only the understandable—but nowhere near predictable—conclusion.

Jimmy Hall is as irrepressible as ever in his song introductions, but more importantly in his deeply-felt vocals. Over the years, his voice has acquired a gravelly texture that suits his abandoned delivery. It also makes for a more effective contrast than ever with the female vocalists who, in a gesture of restraint the likes of which has always earmarked Wet Willie, only appear late in the sole ballad here, "Same Old Moon."

The sounds of Hall's horn and harmonica atill remain indispensable to the current Wet Willie sound. "Street Corner Serenade" sounds like it features a horn section, when in fact it's the single sax fortified by keyboardist Bobby Mobley's instruments. Quick and dirty intervals of harp wailing appear throughout the nine slinky minutes of "Rendezvous with the Blues," drawing sharp contrast with the crisp electric piano and, again, a supple exercise in rhythm by bassist Hall and Lively (who joined the band back in 1978).

Miles of Smiles makes for a judicious comeback on behalf of a band that refused to fall easily into the category of "Southern Rock." Virtually the only Capricorn Records act that did not owe any stylistic debt to Allman Brothers Band, Wet Willie forged a fusion of R&B, gospel and soul music that was all its own during its heyday, and the confidence with which the group originally forged its own personality back in the 1970s remains in full-flower on Miles of Smiles Live. ---Doug Collette, allaboutjazz.com

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01. No, No, No (Michael Duke) - 3:10		play
02. Teaser (Michael Duke) - 4:02		play
03. Baby Fat (Ricky Hirsch/Jimmy Hall/Michael Duke) - 3:54
04. Ring You Up (Michael Duke) - 5:16
05. Comic Book Hero (John Anthony) - 4:42
06. Walkin' By Myself (Jimmy Hall/Jack Hall/Ricky Hirsch) - 4:51
07. Everything That 'Cha Do (Will Come Back To You) (Ricky Hirsch) - 5:13
08. Everybody's Stoned (Ricky Hirsch) - 5:08

Personnel:
- Michael Duke - lead vocals, piano, melodica, Moog-synthesizer
- Ricky Hirsch - lead guitar, acoustic guitar, slide guitar, vocals
- John Anthony - organ, Moog-synthesizer, Arp string ensemble, electric piano, rhythm guitar
- Jack Hall - bass, vocals
- Jimmy Hall - lead vocals, alto saxophone, harmonica, percussion
- Lewis Ross - drums
+
- Leo LaBranche - trumpet, horn arrangements
- Earl Ford - trombone
- Dezso Lakatos, Skip Lane - baritone saxophone
- Jerome Joseph - congas
- Donna Hall, Leslie Hawkins - backing vocals (03)

Though they had a hit with "Keep on Smilin'," Wet Willie has long since been forgotten, and yet they were among the original Capricorn Southern boogie bands of the day. The sound was based around dueling and slide guitars, rolling pianos and organs, harmony vocals and lots of jamming, but this album, their sixth, stands out for another reason: its completely inappropriate cover photo of a glistening woman's torso, from nipple to crotch, holding a popsicle. You've seen it in the $1 bins for ages, and it's a wonder it was reissued at all. Among the bluesy Southern rock songs is a jam with a funky beat and horns, "Baby Fat; " it could pass for the disco of the era and sounds like something KC & the Sunshine Band would do. The easy soul of "Everybody's Stoned" would be great for a time capsule. Forget this one, though it's certainly plausible that enjoyment on a sentimental level could be obtained by some folk out there. --- Denise Sullivan, AMG

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01. Have A Good Time (Maurice Richard Hirsch) - 3:41
02. Dirty Leg (Jack Hall, John Anthony) - 3:41
03. Faded Love (Frank Friedman) - 4:31
04. Spinning Round (Frank Friedman) - 4:18
05. Low Rider (Maurice Richard Hirsch) - 3:01
06. Rock And Roll Band (Maurice Richard Hirsch) - 2:48
07. Pieces (Maurice Richard Hirsch) - 3:12
08. Shame, Shame, Shame (Jimmy Reed) - 3:22
09. Beggar Song (Frank Friedman) - 4:18
10. Fool On You (Frank Friedman) - 7:17

John Anthony - Organ, Piano, Vocals
Jack Hall - Bass, Vocals
Jimmy Hall - Harmonica, Percussion, Tenor Sax, Vocals
Ricky Hirsch - Guitar, Vocals
Lewis Ross - Drums, Percussion
Donna Hall – Vocals

Wet Willie began as a thrown together blues-rock band during the magical Summer of 1969 "way down in Alabama"...(Mobile, to be precise). The original nucleus of the group that eventually became known as Wet Willie was called Fox. The first "gig" was a booking in Panama City, Florida at a club called the Oddessy, a geodesic dome right on the beach.

Jimmy Hall was out front, a triple threat on lead vocals, sax and harmonica; as one writer said, “Jimmy was who Mick Jagger wanted to be!” Ricky Hirsch played guitars and wrote or co-wrote much of the band’s material, with Jack Hall, Jimmy’s brother, on bass, Lewis Ross on drums and John Anthony on keyboards.

The band relocated to Macon, Georgia in 1970 where they were signed by Phil Walden’s Capricorn label, and got right to work on their self-titled first album. Upon its release later that year, Wet Willie began a relentless touring schedule, and soon became known as one of the hardest working bands of the Southern Rock era. As they put it, they “opened for everyone from A to Z: Allman Brothers to ZZ Top!”

Wet Willie's eponymous debut is a superb slice of Southern rock. The band occasionally is getting into bluesy improvised sections, but their main talent is for laidback Southern grooves. --- rockasteria.blogspot.com

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