Dot Com Blues

1	Only in It for the Money 4:35
2	8 Counts for Rita 3:39
3	Strut 5:03
4	C.C. Rider 7:09
5	I Just Wanna Make Love to You 3:55
6	Mood Indigo 8:49
7	Over and Over 5:53
8	Three O'Clock Blues 4:33
9	Dot Com Blues 5:22
10	Mr. Johnson 5:47
11	Tuition Blues 5:51

Barnes & Noble

Jimmy Smith has been instrumental in defining the role of the Hammond B3 organ in jazz. But no matter how he works the bass pedals, how aggressively he plays with the stops, or how far out his solos go, Smith has never moved far from the blues, making him a consistently popular player for more than five decades. On Dot Com Blues, the organ titan turns out to be a fine accompanist to B. B. King, Etta James, Dr. John, Taj Mahal, and Keb' Mo'. Smith and Dr. John warm up with the New Orleans pianist's streetwise "Only in it for the Money" and then cook on the funky instrumental they co-wrote, "Mr. Johnson." James checks in with her growling, prowling version of Willie Dixon's "I Just Wanna Make Love to You," while King revives his "Three O'Clock Blues." Mo' took his tune "Over & Over" into the studio, and with Smith's jazzy runs behind him the folky singer sounds almost as uptown as Joe Williams. Mahal's contribution, "Strut," is the most relaxed cut: His husky voice sounds as if it was made to ride atop the organ. Bassist John Clayton guests on a sultry-sweet "Mood Indigo," and guitarist Russell Malone adds some very tasty solos, most notably on two Smith original instrumentals, "Tuition Blues" and the title cut, and a reworking of "CC Rider." Even with all this star action the best tunes on Dot Com Blues are the ones that put the organ center stage. Here the maestro is comfortable enough to milk his instrument for everything it has to offer. And while the image of Etta James sashaying or Taj Mahal doing his strut across the studio in front of Smith is an enticing one, it's the organ grinder himself who steals this show. Roberta Penn

All Music Guide

On his first album in more than five years, Jimmy Smith, who turned 75 shortly before the release date, attempts the soul-jazz version of what Santana did on Supernatural -- heavily featuring guest stars in an attempt to broaden his appeal. The basic band consists of Smith on organ, Reggie McBride on bass guitar, and Harvey Mason on drums, but this trio is never featured alone, although four tracks feature the trio joined only by guitarist Russell Malone -- "C C Rider," "Mood Indigo" (with John Clayton replacing McBride on acoustic bass), and two new Smith originals, the title track and "Tuition Blues." (On a fifth song, a remake of Smith's "8 Counts for Rita," the quartet is joined by percussionist Lenny Castro.) Not surprisingly, these are the most jazz-oriented performances on the album. The rest of the disc takes a blues turn, with Dr. John contributing vocals and piano on his own composition, the lead-off track "Only in It for the Money"; Taj Mahal singing and playing guitar on his own "Strut"; Etta James singing the Muddy Waters hit "I Just Wanna Make Love to You"; Keb' Mo' taking guitar and vocal duties on his composition "Over & Over"; and B.B. King doing the same on his old favorite "Three O'Clock Blues." Thus, half the album is given over to guest stars who sing, making this the most vocal-dominated album ever released under Jimmy Smith's name. As a consequence, it is also something of a blues sampler with Smith playing a prominent role rather than a Jimmy Smith album. Jazz fans will be happy to know that, after more than 40 years of recording, Smith retains his ability to play, but Dot Com Blues is anything but a showcase for the man whose name is on the cover. William Ruhlmann