Somebody Loan Me a Dime is a 1974 studio album by blues singer and guitarist Fenton Robinson, his debut under the Alligator Records imprint. Blending together some elements of jazz with Chicago blues and Texas blues, the album was largely critically well received and is regarded as important within his discography. Among the album's tracks is a re-recording of his 1967 signature song, "Somebody Loan Me a Dime". It has been reissued multiple times in the United States and Japan, including with bonus tracks. Critical reception The album overall received good reception by critics and is described by the 1993 The Big Book of Blues as "essential listening." AllMusic in its review characterized the album as "one of the most subtly satisfying electric blues albums of the '70s". New York based WGMC blue radio host Jeff Harris describes the album as "one of the era’s true masterpieces", Robinson's "pinnacle". Village Voice Robert Christgau offers some dissent; though he graded the album a B+ overall, indicated that Robinson's voice (though well utilized) lacked power, his songs lacked hooks (aside from "Gotta Wake Up") and his music was "stylish and thoughtful" but restrained. AllMusic's Bill Dahl, by contrast, praised Robinson for the power of several composition and focused particularly on his voice, a "deep, rich baritone [that] sounds more like a magic carpet than a piece of barbed wire," indicating that Robinson "speaks in jazz-inflected tongues, full of complex surprises." Harris, too, pays particular attention to Robinson's voice, which he describes as "a thing of beauty, a deep, rich baritone that glides along and is a perfect counterpoint to his elegant guitar work." Music The album includes a new recording of "Somebody Loan Me a Dime", that Robinson had originally released in 1967 for the Palos label. The song is regarded as Robinson's signature piece and his best-known number. In 1969, Boz Scaggs popularized the song with rock audiences, when he recorded it with Duane Allman on lead guitar for his second album. Although Scaggs is listed as the songwriter on the original album, later reissues credit Robinson. The title song serves as the background music during the opening scenes of the movie The Blues Brothers, a movie responsible for revitalizing Aretha Franklin's career. Jeff Harris identifies as among Robinson's influences on the album B.B. King and T-Bone Walker, "but with a strong jazzy inflection and plenty of grit". All About Jazz,