Along with Spirits Known And Unknown this is the classic entry in the discography of the man who was one of the most idiosyncratic figures in jazz vocal history. Thomas' baritone was a thing of great power and beauty, and on ballads, where he hovered so gently over chords, the finesse of his timbre was quite something, as is the case on the sumptuous and quite sparely arranged ‘China Doll.’ Having said that his technical feats on more uptempo numbers, where his trademark yodel kicked in, are no less impressive, and the multiple effects he creates on the grippingly sinister ‘Shape Your Mind To Die’, with its stark middle eastern resonances created by John Blair's hybrid violin-sitar, are totally compelling. As experimental as these tracks are, the album has a number of vigorous renditions of blues classics – John Lee Hooker's ‘Boom-Boom-Boom’ and the traditional ‘C.C. Rider’ – and the way the set list veers between ‘older’ and newer forms of black music, is a strong point. Lastly the contributions of an all-star band under the capable direction of James Brown's very wily arranger Alfred ‘Pee Wee’ Ellis are flawless, providing a suitably rich canvas for Thomas' voice.