As the lead singer of The Animals, Eric Burdon defined the toughest ground in rock 'n' roll. Defiant anthems like "It's My Life," "We've Got to Get Out of This Place," and "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" were purebred rock punctuated by a rebel yell that's never been bettered. After his time with War, Burdon never got his career back on the mainstream track; he settled in New Orleans and played to crowds that understood his voodoo blues (and for whom "The House of the Rising Sun" was a personal matter). Bruce Springsteen invited Burdon to join him at the 2012 South by Southwest music conference, and Burdon capitalized on the moment by releasing an EP with the Cincinnati garage rockers The Greenhornes and this 2013 full-length album with co-producer Tony Braunagel. Bo Diddley's "Before You Accuse Me" is an ideal choice to go with self-penned tunes such as "Old Habits Die Hard," "In the Ground," and the hilarious and timely "Invitation to the White House." These are hard blues numbers played with bruising impact.