Alligator Bogaloo
is one example of
Lou Donaldson
's successful combinations of
hard bop
and
soul-jazz
. Of the six tunes, three are
Donaldson
originals, including the title hit. The excellent band, consisting of
Melvin Lastin, Sr.
on cornet,
George Benson
on guitar,
Lonnie Smith
on organ, and
Leo Morris
on drums, mixes laid-back vamps beneath driving
charts. As the '60s turned into the '70s,
began shaving off
invention for a more radio-friendly and 45 rpm length, leaving soulful -- yet monotonous -- vamping. At that point,
's material suffered from a lack of originality. That's not the case on
. ~ Al Campbell