White Duck (with John Hiatt) - In Season (1972)
country-rock | 224 kbps mp3 | 59 mb

One of rock's best-kept secrets, John Hiatt is one of the most criminally underrated artists in recent decades. He is an immensely talented songwriter with a gritty voice that gives uncommon emotional depth to his songs. His career has spanned three decades and seven record labels. His 1987 masterpiece Bring the Family was a mild commercial breakthrough; it didn't make him a household name, but it finally brought him recognition and took him to the charts. Hiatt is highly revered by his fellow musicians; his music crosses several genres (rock, country, blues, and others) and numerous artists from all of those genres have covered his songs.

Hiatt made his first recording as a member of White Duck, a country-rock band. Hiatt was on board for the band's second and final album In Season in 1972. The four band members (Hiatt, Don Kloetzke, Mario Friedel, and Paul Tabet) each contribute songs as singers and songwriters. Hiatt's two songs are the record's high points. "You Caught Me Laughin' " sounds like the type of song that would turn up on one of Hiatt's first two solo albums; the other one, "Sail Away", sounds almost like vintage Hiatt. If a John Hiatt box set ever comes to exist, "Sail Away" would be deserving of inclusion.

The songs contributed by Mario Friedel are almost as good as Hiatt's. Nearly half of the songs are written and sung by Don Kloetzke (who has a white duck sitting on his lap in the back cover photo); the quality of his contributions is inconsistent. Kloetzke shines on "Thank You" and "A Girl Who", but he overindulges on "Bull Island Boogie" and "Looney Tune", two oddball novelty songs in which Hiatt is not a credited player.

Producer: Buzz Cason
Musicians:
? John Hiatt (lead and backing vocals, guitar)
? Paul Tabet (drums)
? Mario Friedel (vocals, guitars)
? Don Kloetzke (vocals, backing vocals)
? Steve Mendell (bass)
? Lump Williams (bass)

Recorded at Creative Workshop, Nashville, TN.
Engineers: Travis Turk and Gene Lawson.

Songs:
1. Carry Love (Don Kloetzke)
2. Firewater (Mario Friedel, Skip Rogers)
3. You Caught Me Laughin' (John Hiatt)
4. Thank You (Don Kloetzke)
5. Sail Away (John Hiatt)
6. Bull Island Boogie (Buzz Cason, Don Kloetzke)
7. Honey, You'll Be Alright (Do What Ya Gotta Do) (Paul Tabet, Mario Friedel)
8. Lazy Days (Mario Friedel)
9. A Girl Who (Don Kloetzke)
10. Again (Mario Friedel)
11. Looney Tune (Don Kloetzke)



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