Hear Boz Scaggs’ Dreamy ‘Last Tango on 16th Street’

Boz Scaggs recorded his new album, A Fool to Care, over four days in Nashville, drawing inspiration from the music of Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas – his home state. The record’s first single, however, travels west, vividly describing an evening in California’s Bay Area.

“‘Last Tango on 16th Street’ is a poignant portrait in a late night stroll through San Francisco’s Mission District, the city’s oldest neighborhood,” Scaggs tells Rolling Stone. He calls the song “a picture of its rhythms, its contrasts and colors in high focus” and notes that it was “written by a friend and fine, great S.F. songwriter, Jack Walroth, who’s lived it for many years.” 

Besides “Last Tango,” Walroth also wrote “I Want to See You,” the eighth of the album’s 12 tracks. Other collaborators include Bonnie Raitt, who sings and plays slide guitar on “Hell to Pay,” and Lucinda Williams, who duets with Scaggs on a cover of the Band’s “Whispering Pines.”

The LP was recorded over four days with a band that includes Ray Parker Jr. (guitars), Willie Weeks (bass), Jim Cox (keyboard) and Steve Jordan (drums). It will be released March 31st on 429 Records and can be pre-ordered here.