Guitar Shorty
Bare Knuckle
visit Alligator Records
also available on amazon
This electrifying guitarist, who has been around since the ‘50s, has not lost a single bit of his jaw-dropping prowess on guitar, nor his ‘has to be seen to be believed’ energy on the stage. He is still as raw and exhilarating as a performer as he has ever been. He has never been the household name, but his influence is as far reaching as anyone’s, Jimi Hendrix and Buddy Guy, owe much to this intense and unpredictable blues talent. This is his third disc on the Alligator label and each one has opened up new vistas and showcases of his talents in many ways. Those that know of him will not miss a show that is in their area, as you don’t know what he will do next or what the show will bring, the master of the unpredictable show.
On this offering he does all of the lead guitar and the vocals, as well as co-writing three of the dozen songs. Whether he doesn’t write the song he remakes the song so that it is a reflection of his personality. Some of the songs are of love and loss and others are more topical and dealing with the politics, or the state of politics, of the country in this time of accusations and counter accusations,
and media focused blame. He manages to get down to the important ideas and focus on them. It is his presentation of the songs that rivets us; he is a startling and hair raising guitarist who it seems is always playing near the edges and manages to pull off some amazing feats on his weapon of choice. Then there are his live performances; people have been known to cross 20 miles of broken glass in bare feet to see him play, or at least profess to have done so. If the name is unfamiliar to you, you owe yourself a treat and an education in the blues; get this disc.