I Used To Be Mad (But Now I'm Half Crazy)

Guitarist Henry Vestine gained notoriety through his on-again, off-again tenure with boogie rockers Canned Heat. Recorded after a 1981 tour of Australia and New Zealand, Vestine and members of Canned Heat entered a studio in New Zealand to record this affair. But the tapes were shelved for two decades. Yet at the behest of Canned Heat vocalist James Thornbury and a South African fan, this 2002 production marks Vestine's first solo recording. And while the hard-living artist passed away in 1997, these tracks duly intimate his ballsy chops and firmly implanted blues roots. The musicians work through soul-drenched rock numbers and a garage band-type rendition of "Johnny B. Goode," amid a straightforward version of the Canned Heat hit "Let's Work Together." However, one of the highlights features Vestine's soloing on the walking blues-type motif titled "Loquisimo," which is a piece that signifies one of the guitarist's several nicknames. Overall, Vestine's gritty and altogether animated line of attack is prominently displayed, although many of these tracks suffer from a lack of distinction. ~ Glenn Astarita