This CD is like a sandwich. The songs at the beginning and at the end are tasty, but the real meat is in the middle. Long Haul really starts cooking with the slow blues of Old Friends, which sounds oddly reminiscent of St John's Infirmary. That is followed by Darien, a ballad sung by a Davey Pattison (now Robin Trower's vocalist) sounding much more like Joe Cocker than the Rod Stewart suggested by the first reviewer. Mississippi is a slow, New Orleans style talking blues. Meadway Rag is a rollicking, horn and piano driven instrumental. Sweet Definition is another languid, talking blues piece with Wavy Gravy's vocals strongly evocative of New Orleans. At the mid-point comes the best song. 12 Long Years and No Parole is a butt-kicking, high powered blues tune with musical pyrotechnics supplied by Pete Sears on piano and Charlie Musselwhite on harmonica. This is followed by another demonstration in blues piano virtuosity on Shady Lane. The rest of the CD is a mix of instrumentals and a few country/bluegrass tinged pieces, the best of which are Dance With the Past and Spitfire. That this CD is not better known is a shame, but we all know the state of the music business today. On the Long Haul, Sears shows that he is comfortable and competent across a wide swath of the musical spectrum. If you like the blues or just like some dazzling piano work, then you won't be disappointed picking up this fine work by Pete Sears and a cast of all-stars.