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Pete Prown
Not Done Yet
Eric Clapton
Nearly 60 years after “For Your Love” – the hit that prompted him to leave the Yardbirds – Clapton can pick the material he wants, documented on this eclectic, mostly-mellow release. Meanwhile combines EC’s love of melody and nostalgia with controversial Covid-era singles, many railing against lockdown or politicians (like ex-British PM Boris Johnson, who
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Pete Prown
Mark Lettieri
Can I Tell You Something?
The Snarky Puppy virtuoso delivers a set of crisp funk-fusion, touching on everything from Steely Dan jazzisms to an ’80s dance party. Part of Lettieri’s charm is that he’s an absolute beast on six-string, but never forgets groove and taste – even when melting the frets off. “Dragonfly” has soaring, Lukather-tinged leads next to a
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Pete Prown
Richie Kotzen
Nomad
More than 30 years into a wildly eclectic career (hey, the guy played with Poison and bass god Stanley Clarke), Richie Kotzen is no longer that pre-grunge shredder. With Nomad, he again proves himself a multifaceted, nuanced musician with chops and a killer voice – and also plays slammin’ drums on most cuts. Kotzen’s musical
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Pete Prown
Harden Muddy Waters
Mojo Working
Harden Engineering is a small Chicago shop that specializes in hand-made instruments in a variety of shapes and sizes and aims to bring a custom approach at affordable prices. Its Muddy Waters model is a single-cutaway with a body made of paulownia. Let’s dig in. The Muddy’s medium-C shaped neck is maple capped by a
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Pete Prown
Chase Bliss Onward
Glitch Niche
These days, there’s a litany of “glitch” pedals on the market – boxes that deconstruct guitar signal into 8-bit bleeps and lo-fi bloops. Chase Bliss’ entry is the Onward. Unlike similar pedals, the Onward is remarkably accessible; just plug in and start twiddling knobs; Mix blends natural guitar tone with effect, while Octave adds synth-like
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Pete Prown
Jerron Paxton
Country-Blues Scholar
Hailing from Los Angeles, Jerron Paxton is a remarkable bluesman, able to conjure sounds of the rural, interwar South through his voice and fingerstyle guitar, as well as banjo, harp, accordion, and piano. But don’t fob him off as another Robert Johnson wannabe. Paxton is a scholar of country-blues and early jazz music, owing to
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Pete Prown
Freddie Salem
Freddie Salem, who joined The Outlaws as they were rising to headliner status in 1978, died September 23 from complications of cancer. He was 70. Born in Akron, Ohio, Salem played in local bands while growing up and later became a session guitarist in Los Angeles studios, including playing acoustic guitar on a Barbra Streisand
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Pete Prown
Richie Kotzen
Venn Master
If a Venn diagram reveals a surprising truth between overlapping concepts, Richie Kotzen is the Venn core of heavy rock, fusion, and soul-funk guitar. This multiple-threat instrumentalist plays almost all the instruments on Nomad, including drums, delivering a tour-de-force of rockin’ funky jams. With strong writing, the album also showcases Kotzen’s powerhouse voice and guitar
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Pete Prown
Weller El Dorrado
Rock-and-Roll Screamer
Tucked away in southwest Illinois near St. Louis, luthier Steve Weller is making interesting instruments. His El Dorrado model is a solidbody with nods to the angular shapes of the Firebird, Explorer, and Iceman, but amped-up with the kind of detail and precision you expect from a custom plan. The El Dorrado has a three-piece
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Pete Prown
Frank Zappa
Apostrophe (’) 50th Anniversary
Great googly-moogly! Frank Zappa’s potty-mouth masterpiece is a half-century old and now fêted with a 75-track box set. The original LP has been expertly remastered to increase separation between tracks without sacrificing analog warmth. Audibly improved, Frank’s wah-wah shred on “Nanook Rubs It” and “Cosmik Debris” still eviscerates after all these decades. Beyond the LP
