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I just had to comment on this one, since I am in the process of
becoming a rabid Tab Benoit fan. For those that feel the need to
catagorize blues players, I guess you could file him under
"modern" blues; he hits me the way that SRV did (but not quite as
hard, of course).
I started with his latest release "Nice and Warm". What really
snagged me was his being able to make the "same old blues" come
alive...standard themes, standard progressions played with the
kind of intensity that leaves no doubt as to where he is coming
from. Favorite cuts include a chilling cover of "I Put a Spell
on You"; some great keyboard work.
Wanting more, I picked up both "What I Live For" and "Standing
on the Bank". Rather than dissect each CD tune by tune, I'll
simply say that I found more of what the later release hooked me
with; no slugs here. "Standing" has much more of a bar-band gutsy
flavour (IMHO) and gets played daily at my house. Both contain
some covers of classics as well as some originals. One thing
I particularly like is his choice of musicians, particularly bass
players. "Standing" features Greg Rzab, while the later two
releases are lit up by the fretless magic of Steve Bailey. "What
I Live For" has Reese Wynans on keys, Greg Bisonette on drums,
etc.....again, some great talent and killer grooves all around,
all supporting some outstanding guitar work by Benoit. His vocals
are just throaty enough and on some cuts has that mournful Delbert
Mclinton sound.
Anyway, I really like this guy. It's been too long since I've
been this "up" on a particular artist. So if you're looking for
something new, I can easily recommend any of the above titles.
Now, can we get the mod to change the title on this note? :-)
DAP
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