Joe Louis Walker is generally heralded as one of the brightest stars in the blues today. A performer who is a triple threat on guitar, vocals, and as a songwriter, Walker is having a very busy year. In The Morning is one of three Walker recordings that was released in 2002.

Leading off the disc is a funky version of Ray Charles' minor keyed "You're Just About To Lose Your Clown". This tune carries a slightly grittier tone to it than much of Walker's past work. I find this to be very welcome, as I felt some of Walker's previous work sounded too restrained and overproduced. The title track is a soul number with outstanding vocals and good guitar interplay from Walker and former Saturday Night Live bandleader G.E. Smith. "Leave That Girl Alone" is another mixture of soul and blues similar in style to W.C. Clark. "Where Jesus Leads" blends acoustic and electric instruments on a gospel tune that is simply beautiful. "Do You Want To Be With Me" is a shows influence of hard soul, blues and rock and is the highlight of the disc. Combining some very soulful vocals, a great groove and some smoldering guitar, it brings to mind the sound that a band called the Boneshakers was putting out a few years ago. Great stuff.