GARY CLARK,JR.

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44 BLUES REVUE GARY CLARK, JR. Blak And Blu Warner Brothers Guitarist Gary Clark, Jr. is the most exciting thing to happen to the contemporary blues scene since fellow Texas gunslinger Stevie Ray Vaughan first strolled out on a stage back in the early 1980s. A major talent bubbling under the mainstream, Clark released three independent albums for the Hotwire label and appeared in filmmaker John Sayles’ 2007 movie Honeydripper before he was “discovered” by Eric Clapton. The elder statesman invited Clark to perform at the 2010 Crossroads Guitar Festival, a fortunate turn of events that subsequently led to a major label deal and the critically-acclaimed The Bright Lights EP, which spent the better part of the last year hanging around the upper-reaches of the Billboard blues chart. Widespread critical acclaim, including a particularly purple rave review in the pages of Rolling Stone magazine, introduced mainstream music fans to the six-string talent. For Clark’s legion of newfound fans – who have waited better than a year for his full-length debut album to see the light of day – it’s unlikely that they’ll be disappointed by the guitarist’s magnificent Blak And Blu. HANS THEESSINK & TERRY EVANS Delta Time Blue Groove Few things are as pure as human voices augmented with acoustic instrumentation. Hans Theessink, one of Europe’s most respected keepers of the blues, and Terry Evans continue to celebrate the divine approach of their partnership. Delta Time is perfect follow-up to their first pairing, Visions, released in 2008. The record is a mixture of Theessink originals (six) with time honored blues fare. Musically, Theessink plays guitars, banjo, mandolin, and harmonica while Evans adds his own guitar and guest Ry Cooder joins the duo on three songs. The title track opens the record with a Theessink strumming a soft John Lee Hooker boogie as Evans, Arnold Culler, In the past year alone, Gary Clark, Jr. has played at the White House, the Apollo Theater, the Kennedy Center honoring Buddy Guy, and many music festivals. Blues lovers can now hear what the buzz is all about. and Willie Greene, Jr. answer in three part harmony about leavin’ the city and headin’ to “delta time.” Theessink and Evans’ vocal blend follows on the Delmore Brothers’ “Blues Stay Away From Me.” Their clear and straightforward interpretation, with Cooder’s added slide guitar, is a reminder of the organic nature of early music like this. Another blues classic, Tampa Red’s “It Hurts Me Too,” offers an acoustic reading that focuses on the emotional power of vocal duo. Musically, the guitar and mandolin pairing recalls the days of rural string bands like Sleepy John Estes and Yank Rachell. They also step lightly with Evans taking the lead vocals on the ‘65 pop hit, “The Birds And The Bees.” For almost nine minutes, Evans’ testifies his life experiences of living in a world ruled by Jim Crow segregation on “Down In Mississippi.” Evans has recorded this before, but here it takes on new meaning with his spoken introduction and As good as The Bright Lights EP may have been, nothing could have prepared listeners for a song like “Ain’t Messin’ ‘Round,” which seamlessly blends old-school R&B with a Memphis soul groove and a rock ‘n’ roll heartbeat to one-up the Black Keys at their own game. Clark enjoys his Jimi Hendrix moment with the bold blues-rock dirge “When My Train Pulls In,” the song mixing a Delta blues spirit with an undeniable SRV vibe. Clark is no twotrick pony, however, venturing onto avant-garde turf with the chilling title track, which displays a jazzy edge in its sampling of Gil Scott-Heron, the song firmly rooted in the blues as it also picks from Albert King’s classic “As The Years Go Passing By.” Clark’s mash-up of Hendrix’s “Third Stone From The Sun” with Little Johnny Taylor’s “If You Love Me Like You Say” (best known from Albert Collins’ Frostbite LP) provides plenty of cheap thrills. The swirling psychedelic blues-rock instrumentation quite suddenly evolves into a soulful, slightly funky reading of Taylor’s underrated tune. Overall, music lovers are going to rejoice over Clark’s debut even as blues purists are gonna hate, but the truth is that Blak And Blu marks the emergence of a major talent who is bringing his love of blues and soul to mainstream audiences. Regardless of whether or not we’ve heard it all before, we’ve never heard it quite like Gary Clark, Jr. – Rev. Keith A. Gordon Theessink’s dark assertive guitar. On Theessink’s “Shelter From The Storm,” Cooder’s effortless slide and the sacred male chorus back Theessink’s brooding vocals. Evans shows off his soul side on “Pouring Water On A Drowning Man.” Behind Evans’ tender voice, Theessink’s delicate finger picking creates the friendly, back porch vibe. Jimmy Reed’s “Honest I Do” is delivered as Brownie and Sonny might have performed it in a ‘60s college
coffee house. The CD closes with “Mississippi,” Theessink’s ten-minute travelogue through the blues cathedrals of the Magnolia state. By featuring acoustic slide, harmonica, handclaps, and gospel chorus responses to Theessink’s name calling, it runs like a blues train headin’ to where “the Southern crosses the Yellow Dog.” You won’t find a better acoustic blues album. – Art Tipaldi MIGHTY SAM MCCLAIN Too Much Jesus (Not Enough Whiskey) Mighty Musik Mighty Sam McClain continues to evolve and rarely stays still, for additional evidence checkout his other current release (his second with the Iranian singer Mahsa Vahdat) A Deeper Tone Of Longing. On this album, McClain co-authored 13 of the 14 tunes with his guitarist Pat Herlehy, plus a co-written tune with McClain and Allen Toussaint cover. The album opens with the reggae-like “I Wish You Well” where it’s (as per usual) evident that McClain’s employed another top-notch band featuring Concetta’s sassy background vocals. The tempo hastens on “Can You Feel It?” that’s a call out for world peace it’s a horn driven funk romp with Sam’s gospel tinged vocal plea’s. “Tears” is a soul-drenched ballad that McClain and his band magically recreate the sixties-seventies renowned soul sounds of Philadelphia. The Toussaint/McClain “Real Thing” is a fine soulful tune that moves along at pedestrian pace with tidy horn arrangements. “Use Me” is not the Bill Withers’ song, but it’s a well-crafted gem that also harkens the sounds of Philadelphia. It’s extremely well produced, nicely written, beautifully arranged, and solidly performed. “Rock My Soul” pumps out the funk with the horns adding depth as McClain’s vocals border on rap, but never outrageously over the top. “So Into You” is not the Atlanta Rhythm Section song, but it’s a gorgeous ballad that also resembles (what seems like a bit of a theme here) the Philly Soul sound with a very tasty guitar solo by Herlehy over the hypnotic horn charts. The title track is haunting with its gospel-like theme and very heady arrangements with another tasty guitar support from Herlehy. The album concludes with “Dance,” where superb horns and guitar introduce this funky delight. The heat gets turned on when McClain joins in with Rick Page’s popping drum playing. McClain continues to age like a fine bottle of Bordeaux wine, his vocals are sharp throughout, and his songwriting never-ever grows old. McClain continues what’s now a lifelong progression as being one of the soul greats who is undeniably at the top of his game. But it’s a crime that he’s never garnered the kudos he’s worked so hard for. – Bob Putignano SMOKIN’ JOE KUBEK & BNOIS KING Close To The Bone Delta Groove Although they unplugged for this one, there’s still plenty of Texas guitar power. Reminiscent of the work of Cephas and Wiggins and Brownie and Sonny, Smokin’ Joe Kubek and Bnois King serve up a platter of superb acoustic fare different than anything they’ve done to date. King’s vocals are like aged whiskey, smooth and mellow, with a warm glow that spreads throughout your body when you partake. His folky, jazz tinged guitar is perfect counterpoint for Kubek’s harder edged Texas flavored licks and twangy slide. But this record is much more than two guys with guitars. There’s a huge crew involved, including a bevy of top notch harp players: Bob Corritore, Linwood Slim, Delta Groove president Randy Chortkoff, and Pieter van der Pluijm, AKA Big Pete. Paul Size, Kirk Fletcher, and Shawn Pittman help out on guitar and Hollywood Blue Flames’ pianist Fred Kaplan, along with rhythm section of Willie J. Campbell and Jimi Bott are also onboard. The only cover is “Mama’s Bad Luck Child,” by Texas bluesman Alger Alexander. Backed by Lynwood Slim’s lonesome harp and Kubek’s intricate finger picking, it’s a tutorial on acoustic blues presentation, simple and understated, but powerful and moving without seeming overwrought, probably the most mellow hard luck story you’ve ever heard. “I ain’t got no wife, got no triflin’ kid/got nobody, mama, to be bothered with,” King croons cavalierly before admitting that because he ain’t got nobody to worry his mind, he “laid down laughin’, woke up hollerin’ and cryin’.” But King’s smooth as honey delivery takes all the sting out of the hardships he’s suffering. You get the best of both on “Yankin’ My Chain” and “My Hat’s Off To You,” as both Kubek and King take a turn at some nimble fingered pickin’ as pretty and as clean as Jorma Kaukonen. This is real back porch material, too delicate to be really appreciated in a juke joint, But no matter where you hear it, it’ll make you feel like you’re part of a small gathering camped out on a starry night, sitting around a cracking fire with a jug making the rounds. Take a sip, let it wash over you, and pass it on. This stuff was made for sharing. – Grant Britt SUGAR BLUE Raw Sugar Live Beeble Music From the time he takes the stage after Rico McFarland’s opening introduction, Sugar Blue never lets up. As he’s done throughout his career, Blue’s notes fly rapid-fire through his reeds, augmenting lightning sharp runs through the harp’s high end with clusters of notes jammed into musical phrases followed by dizzying spirals that flies off cuff. Backed by his longtime touring band, which includes McFarland (guitar), BLUES REVUE 45
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