Especially for raising to high art that little-explored subgenre I would like to call “hick funk”—nobody does it better than J.J. Cale. He is truly an underrated guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. Dude makes being laidback (musically speaking) seem like the most seductive thing in the world and a lazy whisper the epitome of soul. He effortlessly rolls country, boogie rock, funk, and the blues into sonic sleeping bags from which you exit only with the most begrudging effort.

The Tulsa, Oklahoma-born Cale is most famous for his song “Cocaine,” which Eric Clapton covered in 1977 and took to the charts, but has there ever been a popular tune less evocative of that drug? Doubtful. Clapton claims it’s an anti-coke song, but most people seem to respond to it as if it were a celebration of the white stuff. The lyrics are somewhat ambiguous, but I'm inclined to call it a “cautionary tale.”

Cale’s also made bank for “Call Me the Breeze,” which Lynyrd Skynyrd took to classic-rock-radio ubiquity and for Clapton’s rendition of “After Midnight.” In fact, Cale’s songs have been covered a ton. And younger artists like Spacemen 3 and Spiritualized idolized and borrowed heavily from Cale’s steez—see the former’s “Call the Doctor” and the latter’s “Run.”

One of my missions in life is to draw as many people’s attention to J.J. Cale as possible, although the man’s royalty checks should keep him comfortable for the rest of his days. Still, I think of it as a kind of philanthropy—and consider this my belated birthday gift to Cale, who turned 70 on Dec. 5.

The Cale albums I’ve heard are all pretty much the same and all pretty much great. You can find them in used-vinyl bins for cheap and the CDs usually aren’t that difficult to locate, either. Start with Troubadour and then seek Naturally, Really, and Okie. If none of those LPs do it for you, you might need therapy. Just kidding. I’m sure there are solid, upstanding folks who can’t stand J.J. Cale, but to me that’s like not enjoying a warm, gentle breeze on your neck or a caress on your thigh.

“Let Me Do It to You” [see video below], from Troubadour, is one of my favorite Cale tracks. It’s like Sly & the Family Stone at their most sedate and subliminally sexual (also, trivia fans, both Sly and J.J. were among the first musicians to use drum machines). If I ever need to make a baby right quick, I’d put this song on repeat until I got the job done. (Sorry, TMI.)