Bayou Lightning

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
All Music Guide to the Blues	[11]
Robert Christgau	B−[14]
DownBeat	[15]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[16]
The Grove Press Guide to the Blues on CD	[9]
MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide	[17]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings	[18]
The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide	[13]

The Bay State Banner said that "Brooks plays a fluid, sharp guitar, influenced by the sound of fellow Louisianans like Slim Harpo, [and] is also capable of working in the harsh, chomping urban genre."^[19] The Lincoln Journal Star called the album "an outstanding effort by a versatile blues performer."^[20] The Houston Post noted that "it's easy enough to hear his bayou roots, but there's also a hard dose of Chicago-style energy and fire here".^[21] The Herald-Times concluded that "what sets Brooks apart from most of the other bluesmen is his jazzy toying with tempo."^[22] Robert Christgau labeled Brooks "a thoughtful guitarist, intermittently clever composer, and competent shouter".^[14]

In 1991, the Chicago Tribune listed Bayou Lightning among ten "essential" Alligator Records albums.^[23]

Side A

1. "Voodoo Daddy"
2. "Figure Head"
3. "Watchdog"
4. "Breakfast in Bed"
5. "In the Dark"

Side B

1. "Worked Up Woman"
2. "Alimony"
3. "Watch What You Got"
4. "I Ain't Superstitious"
5. "You Know What My Body Needs"