by Thom OwensFor All the Way Back, Big Jack Johnson decided to tame the instinct for social commentary and concentrate on what his audience loves: hard-hitting, electrified Delta blues. The result is a monster of a record, filled with great songs and unbridled, earth-shaking playing from Johnson. The key to his music is that he knows how to write a great song, one that adheres to blues traditions without being a slave to them. The funk and soul flourishes he brings to the blues don't compromise the form but bring it into fresh new territory, and this is what makes All the Way Back such a terrific listen.