New York Times Review:
“…the evenings high point came in the form of an anomaly, a calm yet intense set by the reclusive guitarist Mr. Cooder, backed by the guitarist David Lindley, Mr. Cooders son Joaquin on percussion, and three gospel-trained singers, Willie Green, Terry Evans and Bobby King. Mr. Cooders set obeyed none of the standard blues and rock strictures about involving the crowd; instead, he performed sumptuous pieces that seemed idiomatically correct but werent.
Working through gospel (''Jesus Is on the Main Line''), early rock (Chuck Berry's ''13 Question Method'') and Depression-era songs, he made a case for the malleability of American music. He would take an urban rhythm-and-blues tune and add rural slide guitar, or pack it with dense gospel harmonies. The set, informal and potentially cloying, was proof that vernacular music can be dressed up in all sorts of different ways.”