In his first studio album in five years Tab Benoit has given us a smooth taste of Cajun-influenced Blues. Recorded in the oldest studio in Texas, along with Allyn Robinson on drums, David Watson on bass and Marc Adams on the pinetop piano, all of the songs were done in a live mode and picked from his current set list. That ole' Tele thinline just rattles and rolls through cuts like R. Ford's Crosscut Saw, Raided That Joint, Hank William's Jambalaya and Tab's own Crawfishin & Keep Yourself From Crying Too-my fav!
While Tab doesn't appear to be on any mission to deliver a New Testament to the blues, he does drop off in the mailbox a fine package of traditional tunes. Tab's southern voice (i.e. Delbert) is in fine form and his guitar work is in my opinion very much in the Albert Collins vein. On Mother Earth he straps on an acoustic and lets the unplugged blues travel down the dusty roads and past the mossy trees of his Louisiana Bayou.
If you're in the mood for a more traditional sounding guitar blues CD without too many bells and whistles, this is a darn good one. Solid vocals and all-around good blues guitar work gets this a B on my 1 hour commute to work rating system.
This review is copyright © 2001 by Kit Jones, and Blues On Stage, all rights reserved. Copy, duplication or download prohibited without written permission. For permission to use this review please send an E-mail to Ray Stiles.
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