CD Review
Sonny Rhodes
Texas Fender Bender
(Greater Planet Entertainment – GPED0311)
by Dave "Doc" Piltz
Review date: January 2004
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Texas bluesman Sonny Rhodes is an acknowledged master of Texas blues and lapsteel guitar. Whether I have seen him performing on the main stage at a large festival or in a small, smoky blues club; Sonny gives his shows everything he has got, turning on an audience and always making them want more. Much the same can be said about Sonny’s latest release on Greater Planet Entertainment, Texas Fender Bender, featuring the Sonny Rhodes Band in a live performance recorded at Pasquale’s in Lousville, Colorado. Backed by three very capable musicians, Billy Baltera (guitar), Theo Brown (drums) and Jimmy Pritchard (bass), Sonny, the consummate road warrior, blazes through nine tracks, definitely leaving the listener wishing there was more.
On the opening numbers, “Pickin’ Your Bones” and “Drink Muddy Water,” Rhodes’ characteristic gravel-voiced vocals and stinging guitar licks dominate. These are followed by a song entitled “Black Cat Phone” with Sonny referring to the more familiar “black cat bone” in the vocals and sharing guitar leads with second guitarist Billy Baltera, who is also an excellent player.
One interesting sidelight to the recording is the fact that there appears to be no lapsteel anywhere in the nine songs. According to the liner notes, apparently Sonny’s guitar and lapsteel did not arrive in time for the show and Sonny’s wife Annie had to run out and buy him another Fender guitar so he could perform! Although could be somewhat disappointing for the Sonny Rhodes’ fan waiting breathlessly for Sonny to burn some licks on lapsteel, his clean, pure and well phrased guitar work throughout the CD more than makes up for the loss of lapsteel.
Among my personal favorites on Texas Fender Bender are “Black Cat Phone,” “T- Bone Shuffle,” “Shoe On The Other Foot” and “Ya Ya.” Each has some great guitar, excellent vocals and the band is well rehearsed and tight on each song. I particularly enjoyed Sonny’s unique treatment of “Ya Ya,” which Sonny and company turn into a first rate blues song. Also interesting is the song “Blue Shadow.” Although on the CD the song is only 5:24, it appears to be part of a much longer tune as it fades in at the beginning and out at the end, with no apparent starting or finishing point. I would definitely be interested in hearing what was left off the shortened CD version. Another point of interest about the recording is the almost total absence of crowd noise, before, during or after each song. Given some live recordings penchant for including as much crown noise as possible (sometimes to the detriment of the music), this is a refreshing choice for this CD.
Anyone who loves Texas blues guitar or the music of Sonny Rhodes will definitely enjoy Texas Fender Bender. Sonny’s signature vocals and guitar dominate the recording and the backing band is tight and clean in supporting him. To find out more about Texas Fender Bender, visit the Greater Planet Entertainment website at www.greaterplanet.com or Sonny Rhodes website at www.sonnyrhodes.com. Pick up a copy of Texas Fender Bender and enjoy the ride!
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