Critic's Review
Dave Sleger, All Music Guide
Tonio K's fifth full-length album was originally slated to be released in 1990 on the heels of Notes From the Lost Civilization, thus completing his trio of comeback recordings. Due to the inherent nature of corporate restructuring, however, this project was canned by A&M only to see the light of day seven years later courtesy of Gadfly Records. This album, while being denied a final mix due to financial and political constraints, continues stylistically in the vein of Notes From the Lost Civilization. Tonio K's patented form of intelligent funky roots rock and commentary-laced ballads is complemented greatly by a stellar cast of musicians like Peter Case, T Bone Burnett, Booker T. Jones, Bruce Thomas, David Hidalgo, Paul Westerberg, and Charlie Sexton. Co-produced by Burnett and David Miner Olé contains several intense and substantive songs like "Hey Lady," "Day and Night," (co-written with Burnett) and the caustic "What a Way to Live" which revisits his ornery heyday as a burgeoning voice of unreason.
