Joe Louis Walker knows how to work a song. He's been playing guitar sincehe was fourteen, honed his talent under Mike Bloomfield's tutelage, frontedsome of the best blues bands on the San Francisco blues scene, got involvedwith gospel along the way, and has more than ten albums to his credit. But nothingcan prepare you for the opening riffs of "You're Just About to LoseYour Clown," the first track off In the Morning, Walker's latest,where he sets an instant groove with chunky guitar riffs, then soars CarlosSantana-style, backed by a sultry Latin beat. Walker shines the brightest, however,on a frenzied take of the Rolling Stones' "2120 South Michigan Avenue."He exchanges gritty guitar riffs with an unnamed organist, while his formidablerhythm section holds down the backbeat. Their six-minute jam, which veers fromhard-driving rock to dirty, funky R&B, is utterly transcendent.