CD Review
Kirk Fletcher
Shades Of Blue
(Crosscut (2003) CCD 11076)
14 tracks, 60 minutes.
by Craig Ruskey
Review date: October 2004
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"Keeping the Blues Alive Award" Achievement for Blues on the Internet Presented by The Blues Foundation
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Exceptional. Reviewing should always be objective without any room for personal favorites. Honest and straight-forward are watchwords to adhere to, and with that being said, modern blues does not get any better than this. Kirk "Eli" Fletcher has been making a name for himself for a few years now, either running across the country and globe with Kim Wilson or Charlie Musselwhite, as well as roaming up and down the West Coast with friends. One thing perhaps not open to discussion when talking about Kirk is his knowledge of tone and respect for tradition. As a guitar player, he knows less is more and realizes that tone coloration adds much more to a project than flash or pyrotechnic ability. There's little doubt that Fletcher could carve up almost any taker in a cutting duel, but that comes from knowing what to play, where to play it, and how to place it for maximum effect. With Kim Wilson, Finis Tasby, and Janiva Magness aboard offering staggering vocals to the set, Fletcher turns in the perfect sideman performance with his guitar. Eddie Taylor's Bad Boy features Wilson's harp and gripping vocals as does My Home Is A Prison, an Excello favorite sounding like it was recorded in an open cellblock of a maximum security facility. Wilson also hands in Country Girl and Stranded, a Junior Parker gem. Finis Tasby delivers a storming Welfare Blues, Down Home Woman, and a delectable The River's Invitation, while Janiva Magness handles Willie Dixon's Don't Go No Further, Little By Little (perhaps best known by Junior Wells) and That's Why I'm Cryin' from Magic Sam's catalog. Although this might be a CD under Fletcher's name, he's not here to solo incessantly. He marks his maturity by making incredible statements to the songs. Whether slow blues, shuffles, or the Chicago stomp of Club Zanzibar with Wilson's harp, Kirk Fletcher knows what it means to lay back and simmer, but make no mistake about it... when it comes time to step forward, he carries a razor and strop and knows how to use them. Lord have mercy!
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