He’s not the next Hendrix. Not the next Stevie Ray Vaughan, even though they both honed their craft in Austin, TX and have played in many a same club. Nor is he the next anything. He is Gary Clark Jr., a dominant blues guitarist cementing himself as a shareholder in the blues rock revival that is slowly retrofitting this age of music.
Steve Vai’s brain must be such an interesting place to explore. The music he creates from looking inside swirl around in a universe full of light and spirituality. From discovering keys on a piano at a very young age to falling under the spell of an electric guitar a few years later, Vai has taken transcendental meditation to an all-new arena.
In his exploration of the limits of solo production, Pat Metheny’s last album, Orchestrion, succeeded at bringing together his own musical thoughts and combining them with technology to create an orchestra driven off of a singular input. His latest project, What’s It All About, is a collection of acoustic covers of songs that have meant something to him, particularly in the early time period of his life where music was playing a more profound role.
You can immediately tell what light-year a Joe Satriani album is traveling in by the way the first song definitively captures you with your first listen. The vibrations of his initial entrance are defining points of both his live shows and studio records which electrify listeners time and time again.
Jonny Lang, best known for fiery guitar licks and from-the-gut singing, has been playing onstage since he was fourteen. His debut album hit big in 1997 with the single “Lie To Me”, propelling him into a meteoric rise to fame and fortune, partying and drugs. Along the way, Jonny also became a well-respected musician, playing at the first Crossroads concert with Eric Clapton, winning a Grammy, and jamming alongside legends like Buddy Guy and BB King. With his new live CD, Live At The Ryman, Jonny is getting back to his roots.
Charlie Hunter has certainly proved he's his own man during the course of a career that's found him working as parts of solos, duos, quartets, quintets and larger ensembles both as frontman/bandleader and collaborative participant. He is comfortable with himself to the extent his self-description as a 'boutique' artist sounds both pragmatic and proud.
Nils Lofgren, guitarist of Bruce
Chris Farlowe and Van Morrison are in a class by themselves when it comes to British soul, but James Hunter seems to be scratching at the door containing those stars.
The latest album from Indigenous features a new lineup and a new label, but what hasn
Kaki King has earned a growing fan base over the years for her innovative guitar playing and artfully looped songs, but on her third album
