"Hit the Road to Dreamland" probably isn't the very best song Arlen and Mercer ever wrote, but Dr. John certainly gets the full good out of it. I didn't remember the song, though I found a Harold Arlen recording in my library. The suns-comin-up-I-gotta-go sentiment is perfect for Dr. John, and he definitely did a lot more with it than the author. I'll consider this the definitive performance of the song.

At least a couple of these songs seem like weak choices. He could have gotten stuff with much more flava than some of these. I would have loved to seen him take a swing at "Jubilation T. Cornpone," for example, which could go really good with his New Orleans palate, rather than this instrumental version of "Tangerine." It's just a bland tune from the get-go. It sounds to me like intermission music to play over the PA while people are taking their bathroom breaks. "I'm an Old Cowhand" strikes me similarly as pointless. Why he would pick these songs to sing over "If I Had My Druthers" or "Too Marvelous for Words" escapes me.

"That Old Black Magic" turns out surprisingly weak here. He comes up with an extra little piano lick to build his arrangement on, but it's not that interesting. The song was surely built to swing, so his particular goosing of the vocal melody seems unnecessarily abusive and not especially inspired. I'd think of the song as being particularly a "jazz" standard. I'd certainly ten times rather hear the Louis Armstrong recording, though.

He does, however, end strong with "Save the Bones for Henry Jones." This was not a Mercer composition at all, but is best known for a recording by Johnny Mercer and Nat King Cole. In any case, this R&B standard is literally meat and potatoes, which ribs Dr. John is glad to pick clean for himself, since after all, "Henry don't eat no meat."

As I finish up my consideration, I'm not surprised to find myself liking it more. Picking at them bones does turn up some good meat, and pure professionalism and technical skill puts most of this over. The closer you listen, the more those little details add up to a very listenable record, even if you might have hoped for a little more.