Chris Smither may not be as well known as the many people who sing his praises—folks like Bonnie Raitt, John Mayall, Emmylou Harris, and Diana Krall—but that’s hardly something he should worry about. The blues-folk troubadour still ranks plenty high among roots music fans, and his job is to keep working hard at what he does and let fortune decide where the chips fall. Still on the Levee is a "two-CD" retrospective, where the New Orleans–raised Smither went to his hometown recording studio, Music Shed, with longtime producer David Goodrich and revisited the songs—from “Devil Got Your Man,” his first composition, to recent favorites—that define him as a blues musician. The legendary Allen Toussaint, Loudon Wainwright III, Kris Delmhorst, Rusty Belle, members of Morphine, his sister Catherine Norr, and his daughter Robin come together to celebrate 48 years of hard work. One listen to “Love You Like a Man” (which Raitt recorded as “Love Me Like a Man”) or “Call Time,” and the talent before your ears is immediately evident.