Do You Get the Blues?

If anyone deserves a crack at being "the next Stevie Ray Vaughan," it's his older brother Jimmie. Thankfully, he's not concerned with aping his sibling's gruff, guitar-heavy approach, as he's proved through his previous two solo albums. It's not that he doesn't have the chops to be an often spellbinding guitarist in his own right; his work with the Fabulous Thunderbirds proved that he could tear off hot licks with the best of them. But on his third solo album, Jimmie pulls even further away from his brother's sound, whipping up a scrumptious concoction of jazzy, often funky R&B and blues that's every bit as enticing in its own way as Stevie Ray's more bombastic approach was. Recorded in both Memphis and Texas and prominently featuring the amazing Bill Willis on Hammond B-3 (who doubles on bass pedals -- leaving this as one of the few blues albums without an official bassist), Jimmie's more subtle approach leaves lots of spaces to nail a groove that gets deeper as the album progresses. Guests like James Cotton on harp and longtime associate singer Lou Ann Barton (who just about steals the show on the songs where she duets with Vaughan) inject extra spice, but the singer/guitarist has crafted a compelling slice of contemporary blues that blends traditional elements in a distinctive way. His own soloing stings in a less abrasive, more organic fashion, and his honest, lived-in vocals, while not technically accomplished, fit the tunes perfectly. Rootsy yet polished tracks like the R&B swamp of "Without You" and the Texas soul of Johnny "Guitar" Watson's "In the Middle of the Night" (featuring Stevie Ray's Double Trouble rhythm section) crackle with taut energy and low-down soul. By forging an individual musical style, Jimmie Vaughan not only avoids all Stevie Ray comparisons, but has produced a remarkable album that truly sounds like no one else. ~ Hal Horowitz