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Booker T. & The MG's: Booker T. Jones (keyboards); Steve Cropper (guitar); Donald "Duck" Dunn (bass); Alan Jackson Jr. (drums). Recorded November 24, 1967 & February 2, 1968. Originally released on Stax (724) on February 23, 1968. Digitally remastered by Bill Inglot & Dan Hersch (Digiprep). Though not as strong as the preceding HIP HUG-HER, or SOUL LIMBO, the album that followed it, DOIN' OUR THING still features the impeccable chemistry, strong tunes, irresistible grooves, and fine musicianship that made the band legendary. Drummer Al Jackson and bassist Donald "Duck" Dunn's airtight rhythm section, Steve Cropper's wiry, economical riffing, and Booker T. Jones' organ, which alternates between swirling leads and funky backing thick as molasses, are everywhere in evidence. Eight of the album's 11 songs are covers, including "Never My Love," "Ode to Billy Joe" and Sonny Bono's "The Beat Goes On," which show the MG's moving in a more streamlined, pop-oriented direction. Here the band's sound begins to undergo a transformation from its edgier origins toward the smoother, jazzier feel that would characterize their later work, "Expressway to Your Heart" and the title track being cases in point. This is not to say that the MG's don't still kick it. "I Can Dig It" and a version of "You Keep Me Hanging On" show the band capable of both go-go grooves and pounding rock. DOIN' OUR THING is a strong showing from these renowned Stax soulmeisters.
