Tinsley Ellis
Moment of Truth
Alligator Record
available on Amazon
This is Tinsley Ellis’ first disc of new material written by him, it is 10 of his and 2 covers. This is a disc that rocks as hard in the blues vein as any disc he has done in years, with the exception of Live! Highwayman in ’06, which gives a taste of why his shows draw such raves. It displays his wide variety of influences; Southern Rock, to Memphis R&B, to the Blues, especially those that reflect the Texas blues as portrayed by Freddie King, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, and perhaps his biggest influence, the blues rock of Stevie Ray Vaughn, although he loves to display his wah-wah pedal a la Eric Clapton and Cream. Born in Georgia he grew up in Florida so the influences of Southern Rock are strong in his playing. His
voice has become far more expressive and soulful; it also seems to have a broader range, though it still is dwarfed by his guitar work. The best way to hear this blues/rock growing legend is live because of his attitude of nothing behind on the stage but a pool of sweat and the echoing of his guitar work, this is arguably his best studio effort yet.