Stavin' Chain

This is a good solid disc that shows a lot of promise -- there is nothing groundbreaking or revolutionary here, but the album displays some very good songwriting that sticks within the blues genre. There is a good bit of quality slide and Dobro guitar playing, and there are even a couple of tunes on which the producer of the disc, John Mooney, contributes his extraordinary guitar playing. This is the music of the Delta region as sifted through the New Orleans melting pot. The group is comprised of Grayson Capps and John Lawrence, and their sound is fleshed out by an assortment of other musicians on this disc (but predominately by people who have played with Mooney). This is a close and very tight-sounding recording that reflects a similar feel and love for the music. Most of this is composed by Capps, with Lawrence writing two songs; the two collaborated on four others. Capps handles all the vocals on the disc and plays some rhythm and acoustic guitar. Lawrence is responsible for the exceptionally tasty Dobro, slide guitar, and most of the electric guitar sounds on the disc. He shows not only great potential but restraint as well -- and he doesn't overplay or play too loud. This is the first major-label disc for this group and it is an exceptional effort that shows singular good taste with what they chose to present and how they unfurled it. They not only brought in Mooney to produce but got Ron Fraboni to do the mixing, and this disc bears the stamp of quality. An accomplished debut. ~ Bob Gottlieb