Kenny Burrell's guitar sound, balanced on the cusp between distortion and clean-tone playing, provides this 1963 album with just the right amount of edge. On "Mule," he gives voice to the blues with bent notes and deeply expressive phrasing; on original compositions, such as the Latin-influenced "Chitlins Con Carne," he favors unmuddied strumming and fleet, single-note soloing. The unaccompanied "Soul Lament" shows him at his melancholy best, and elsewhere, a backing band that includes the soulful tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine guarantees a serene, sophisticated sound.