Month: December 2011

The title of Charlie Hunter’s latest lends a hint that all 11 songs on it are culled from some old songbook. And indeed, all were chosen by Hunter’s 99-year-old grandfather!

While on the surface it might seem a ploy to dodge publishing fees, Hunter is serious about giving these songs their due. Known for playing an eight-string guitar, here his instrument has “only” seven, and he plays it without his trio.

It’s a treat to hear him take a classic like “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” through several feels while never losing the melody; as it winds down, it turns to bluesy funk. He does the same with “Danny Boy,” which in Hunter’s able hands gets a soulful run with sustained notes and swinging bass lines. He swings on “Meet Me in St. Louis,” which starts with a ballad feel before he takes it in the swing direction.

Other tunes, like “Avalon,” “Limehouse Blues,” “Cielito Lindo,” and “How You Gonna Keep ’Em Down On The Farm?” could become bogged down, but Hunter never lets that happen, as it’s easty to forget it’s just one fella and his guitar. You also forget the songs are 100 years old – all sound new and vibrant.

This disc is a winner, and will especially appeal to those who like hearing a veteran jazz picker play with nothing getting in the way.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s Mar. ’11 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

It’s easy to take for granted bands like Los Lonely Boys. The trio of brothers is adept at many kinds of music. Early in their career, guitarist Henry Garza proved that, like so many who came down the pike the past 30 years, he had learned much from the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughan. But with each subsequent album, his style expanded, and now he has an identity, even playing acoustic, as he does on this record.

“Senorita” is a plain-ol’ Tex-Mex stomper with zinging double stops from Henry before he drifts into flamenco. He gets downright funky on “Oye Mamacita,” while his pop and soul sensibilities are on display on “Hollywood” which also gives brothers Jojo (bass) and Ringo (drums) a chance to show off their considerable vocal abilities.

There are great covers here, including a bluesy-funk read of the Beatles’ “She Came in Through the Bathroom Window” and a straight cover of “Evil Ways.”

With the live recording you also get a dose of the showmanship. It’s good listen, though, and makes it hard to ignore Henry Garza in any discussion of top guitarists of his generation.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s Mar. ’11 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

Mike Eldred is an L.A. guitarslinger with a strong taste for Americana. His power trio includes Blasters’ backline men John Bazz (bass) and Jerry Angel (drums), and together they serve up a tasty helping of blues, R&B, country, and good ol’ rock and roll.

61/49 refers to the Mississippi crossroads where Robert Johnson may have sold his soul to the devil in exchange for otherworldly blues powers. And fittingly, Eldred kicks off the album with an a cappella admonition, “Don’t Go Down There.” Then, hardly taking a breath, he roars into “Jake’s Boogie,” proving the words of warning all came too late.

Throughout these 13 original tracks, Eldred and gang prove it again and again; on “Miss Gayles’ Chicken House” they’re joined by Scotty Moore on second guitar. Ike Turner adds piano on two other tracks, Riley Osborn plays B3 organ on another, and former Fabulous Thunderbird Kid Ramos tosses in stylish guitar licks on “Louise.” What a lineup!

Still, it’s Eldred who stuns. His guitarwork is incisive, inventive, and thoroughly rocking, running from Sun-style rockabilly to SRV blues. He makes that Telecaster sweat.

The final/title track is pure deep- Delta blues, with Eldred playing solo acoustic bottleneck slide on an old-timey train tune. Mr. Johnson himself may be rolling over with envy.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s Mar. ’11 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

If you’re waiting for a full-blown Steve Lukather guitar album, this isn’t it (actually, it was 1982’s Baked Potato Super Live, but that’s another story). Instead, this record is very much in the Toto vein, combining rock, pop, funk, fusion, and blues vocal tunes into a tidy package.

Fortunately, most every tune sports one of those killer Luke solos. “Darkness in My World” is the opener and it’s a classic Toto-style tune, mixing styles freely, but allowing room for Lukather to spin his six-string magic. And though a rather dated style of pop, “On My Way Home” sounds very much like something you’d hear from Steely Dan (one of Luke’s favorite bands). And the ballad “Don’t Say It’s Over” lets the guitarist show off his famous “heavy melody” side, where his lead goes from soft and introspective to face-melting in just a few seconds.

All’s Well That Ends Well is a polished, commercial-rock affair, geared for Toto’s enormous fan base in Europe and abroad. Fortunately, it also has a ton of good guitar work and mega-fat tones. If you have a yearning for big ’80s-rock sounds and lead work from one of rock’s best soloists, you won’t go wrong here.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s Mar. ’11 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.