Not for one minute will you mistake this collection of unreleased recordings as a proper album. It isn't just the preponderance of covers, it's the subtle shifts in production and tone, lending a general unevenness to this record, even if it's culled just from 1975 and 1976 (meaning they're leftovers from
Fire on the Bayou and
Trick Bag). That doesn't mean it's a bad listen by any stretch, since even if
Kickback is second-rate and leftover
Meters, they're still an incredibly supple, engaging band that can take such bad choice of material like
Neil Young's "Down by the River" and turn it into something listenable. Such cover choices as that,
the Beatles' "Come Together," and
Stephen Stills' "Love the One You're With" all sound intriguing, particularly to the record geek that's this album's core audience, but apart from the latter (and a fine, surprisingly hard-rocking alternate version of "Honky Tonk Women"), these kind of choices play better in theory than in actuality. The rest of the record may not have as distinctive a calling card, but they're better, finding the band laying back and doing what they do best, which is laying down a solid, irresistible groove. No, there's not much here that's essential, but it's fine second-tier stuff that will satisfy the dedicated. And, truth be told, second-tier
Meters still sounds pretty good to the unconverted, too. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine