Dave Hole: The Live One - Alligator

From the beginning, this recording comes out of the gate like a racehorse. It is solid energy! This is the essence of a live show! With a whisper of Duane Allman and an almost sneak preview of our own Nick Vigarino, Dave Hole soars through his performance with effortless perfection. For fans or collectors of live recordings, this is a must. “Purple Haze” is priceless. I can’t say too much about this CD or I’ll spoil it for you. Trust me—for raw, live energy—this is a must have. - Kathi McDonald (Davel Hole plays at Mount Baker Blues Festival)

Sonny Landreth:The Road We’re On - Sugar Hill

Sonny Landreth has been called a “musicians musician” and rightfully so. Initially inspired by Blues legends Robert Johnson, Skip James and Mississippi John Hurt, Landreth is one of the premier contemporary slide guitar players and has worked with everyone from Marcia Ball to John Mayall. In addition to recording solo projects and making guest appearances, he’s a regular band member in John Hiatt’s Goners. While his claim to fame is the Louisiana flavored song “Congo Square”, (which was made famous by the Neville Brothers but has also been recorded by Kenny Neal and Chris Daniels) he has steadily gained notoriety as a solo artist in is own right.

The Road We’re On is an eclectic record to say the least which is a worthy predecessor to his 2000 Cajun drenched release, Levee Town. Landreth stirs the pot with a dash of Southern Fried blues on “Hell At Home” where he showcases a tasty dobro solo. The straight ahead Rock mood of “All About You” has an Allman Brothers quality and a Zydeco texture manifest on “Gone Pecan”. Landreth goes for an authentic delta feel on “Juke Box Mama” with just an acoustic resonator guitar accompaniment. Probably the song that will crossover with the most ease is “Natural World”. While it is still down and dirty with some nasty guitar riffs and solo’s, it has a radio friendly consistency more so then the rest of the disc.

Sonny Landreth has only been recording solo projects since 1992 and each record has received critical praise. Chock full of well crafted songs and stellar musicianship, The Road We’re On will undoubtedly find an even wider audience as Landreth hits the festival circuit this summer. - Tony Engelhart

Don Nix & Friends: Goin’ Down - Evidence

For many years, these wonderful songs have been gracing many a stage and even more recordings. Everyone tends to enjoy his music and if they read the credits and publishing, they’ll find that these are the songs—both words AND music—of Don Nix. Goin’ Down is his first recording in over nine years. The songs are a collection of his best compositions, and the musicians are a collection of some of the best in the business. With Don & Bonnie Bramlett on lead vocals, you can’t go wrong. Other ‘friends’ include Steve Cropper, Brian May (Queen), John Mayall, Leslie West, Tony Joe White, and Bobby Whitlock (Derek and the Dominoes). From the first cut to the last it goes from sensitivity and cynicism to powerful and back again. With all the tunes being great, it’s hard to choose a favorite - but I’ll try. “Same Old Blues” (Nix & Bramlett) is a perfect ballad. “Palace of the King” (Freddie King) is marvelous and powerful as a locomotive. I could go on... If you are a lover of rockin’ blues, this must be a staple for your collection. Once you hear it, you’ll know it comes from the heart. - Kathi McDonald

Joe Louis Walker: Pasa Tiempo - Evidence

For Joe Louis Walker fans, 2002 was a treat as this gospel turned blues artist delivered three recordings: Guitar Brothers with Otis Grand (JSP), In The Morning (Telarc), and Pasa Tiempo (Evidence).

Like Walkers’ previous releases, Pasa Tiempo is musically varied as the singer/songwriter/guitarist flirts with a diverse assortment of genres. This time out, the artist pushes the boundaries farther than ever as he integrates Latin beats on much of the disc. From the gospel and deeply spiritual Van Morrison song “Sweet Thing” to the Charlie “Bird” Parker-esque “Barcelona” featuring Ernie Watts on sax, it seems that Joe Louis is making music that he enjoys rather than staying with any proven formula to appease an audience. This soulful singer continues with an array of (well-chosen) covers including Boz Scaggs’ “I’ve Got Your Love”, John Hiatt’s “Love Like Blood”, Otis Redding’s “Direct Me”, and an instrumental version of the blues classic “It Hurts Me Too”, even the Booker T vibe is called upon for the classic “You Can’t Sit Down” featuring killer B-3 work provided by Barry Goldberg Walker. Even though they are covers, Walker molds each song into a style which is distinctly his own.

Pasa Tiempo is an interesting and eclectic side project for Joe Louis Walker as he continues to flex his creativity in uncharted territories with regard to conventional and contemporary blues. - Tony Engelhart
(see calendar for NW dates)

Lucinda Williams: World Without Tears - Lost Highway

Although Lucinda Williams has been a darling of the critics since her 1979 debut, it wasn’t until her 2001 effort, Essence, that the gifted singer/songwriter broke out of obscurity and entered the mainstream. With the popularity of Essence’s sexually-charged title track, Lucinda once again received the nod from the conservative Grammy Awards committee. Her highly anticipated follow-up to Essence would have to be as good, if not better, if she were to cement her reputation as the best contemporary female songwriter.

World Without Tears picks up where Essence left off. While Williams continues to mix genres between folk, country, rock, and blues, she adds a little extra “twang” on World… which brings her closer to a Hank Williams/Patsy Cline sound than past projects. The 1st single, “Righteously”, has the lyric sensuality of “Essence” but with a less modern sound as Lucinda’s weathered vocals bend yearningly to create a Honky Tonk vibe. The guitar work by band member Doug Pettibone vacillates between country music and blues, and not only combines elements of country & western and R&B, but add a rich tone through heavier amplification, often using echo reminiscent of a 1955 Scotty Moore sound (Scotty was Elvis Presley’s original guitarist). Make no mistake, while Lucinda Williams can be as melancholy as the Cowboy Junkies’ Margo Timmins, she can still get as vile as Janis Joplin ever did. On the bluesy track “Atonement” she gets downright raunchy with the microphone sending the studio needles way past 10. She atones for this (excuse the pun) with the devastating ballad “Those Three Days” which features a crying lap steel and Williams’ half-spoken vocal that questions whether a scorching three-day affair was a falsehood she should forget or the beginning of a relationship. The slow- moving country cadence of the title track sets the stage for Lucinda to justify the experience of pain, whether physical or emotional, in order to better appreciate the good times.

World Without Tears is truly Lucinda Williams’s swan song, an instant masterpiece and possibly the best folk/blues/rock album since Bob Dylan’s 2001 release, Love and Theft. - Tony Engelhart (see her live dates in the calendar)
Kim Wilson: Lookin’ For Trouble - M.C. Records

© 2003