In the early- to mid-’60s, Gene McDaniels was a successful singing star. He hit the charts with the singles “A Hundred Pounds of Clay,” “Tower of Strength,” and “Chip Chip”. However, McDaniels was a more thoughtful and politically conscious man than his hits would suggest, and after the assassination of Martin Luther King, he left America to live in Europe and focus on songwriting. When he returned to the US in 1970, he was billing himself as Eugene McDaniels the Left Rev. Mc D, and his music took a sharp turn into a new direction.

Outlaw is a set of songs that exist in a place bordered by jazz, rock, and funk. Most importantly, as a songwriter McDaniels had eagerly embraced the counterculture and the issues of the day, and Outlaw is full of smart, pointed lyrics that speak of race, class, and cultural division. The musicians (who include giants Ron Carter, Hugh McCracken, and Ray Lucas) bring an unflashy virtuosity to their performances. At a time when African American consciousness was exploding in new and provocative directions in popular music, Outlaw shows Eugene McDaniels was at the vanguard of this revolution.