Smokes Like Lightnin'

Lightnin' Hopkins

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Smokes Like Lightnin' Review

by Greg Adams

One of the most weirdly compelling elements of Smokes Like Lightnin' is Mack McCormick's liner notes, reproduced from the original 1963 LP. Almost breathtaking in their ferocity, McCormick's notes characterize Hopkins as a spoiled crybaby whose only redeeming quality is his ability to make music. The album, recorded in three 1962 sessions, consists simply of Hopkins and his guitar, except for three songs that are performed with a full band. The sound is spare and very loose, with a re-recording of "T Model Blues" and the dance song "Let's Do the Susie-Q," a musical exhortation that seems unlikely to inspire dancing. A brief and uneven album, Smokes Like Lightnin' is less compelling than Hopkins' '50s recordings, but strikes an appealingly lazy acoustic groove.

Track Listing

Title/Composer Performer Time Stream
1
T-Model Blues
Lightnin' Hopkins / Sam Hopkins
Lightnin' Hopkins 02:46 SpotifyAmazon
2
Jackstropper Blues
Lightnin' Hopkins / Sam Hopkins
Lightnin' Hopkins 03:22 SpotifyAmazon
3
You Cook All Right
Lightnin' Hopkins / Sam Hopkins
Lightnin' Hopkins 04:15 SpotifyAmazon
4
My Black Name
Lightnin' Hopkins
Lightnin' Hopkins 03:56 SpotifyAmazon
5
You Never Miss Your Water
Lightnin' Hopkins / Sam Hopkins
Lightnin' Hopkins 02:36 SpotifyAmazon
6
Let's Do the Susie-Q
Lightnin' Hopkins / Sam Hopkins
Lightnin' Hopkins 03:39 SpotifyAmazon
7
Ida Mae
Sam Hopkins
Lightnin' Hopkins 05:26 SpotifyAmazon
8
Smokes Like Lightning
Lightnin' Hopkins / Sam Hopkins
Lightnin' Hopkins 05:13 SpotifyAmazon
9
Prison Farm Blues
Lightnin' Hopkins / Sam Hopkins
Lightnin' Hopkins 04:30 SpotifyAmazon
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Smokes Like Lightnin'

Lightnin' Hopkins Discography Browser