CD Review By Brian Scherzer

No website that calls itself "Old School Guitar" would be complete without a review of a CD of authentic acoustic rural-styled blues. "William House and Jack Pearson", originally released in 1999, is as deep as you can get into the roots of modern acoustic blues. From beginning to end, the twelve songs that comprise this recording capture the magic of two incredible musicians who have played together for more than 20 years. They share vocal duties, with House performing on harmonica, while Pearson handles the resonator and acoustic guitar in ways that remind the listener of days gone by. Proficient on slide and with his own style of finger picking, Pearson provides a background from which House's unique use of the harmonica stands out as something truly special. The end result is a CD that is sure to captivate the audience!

Excerpts from another review give some background to both of these musicians:

"Blues harmonica master, William Howse, has established a playing style in the tradition of John Lee Williamson, Big Walter and Deford Bailey. And his vocals are reminiscent of Muddy Waters. He is one of the few true bluesmen around today. Through the years William has played with such artists as Lonnie Mack and Tinsley Ellis and many local and regional groups, including the Miranda Louise Band, the Bobby Bradford Blues Band, Blues Co-op and Big Mike Griffin and the Unknown Blues Band. He has contributed harp and/or songwriting to studio albums by Gregg Allman, Johnny Jenkins and Jimmy Hall, among others. He gave a special performance at the dedication ceremony of the Tennessee Historical Marker commemorating harmonica great Deford Bailey, the first black musician to appear at the Grand Ole Opry."

"Jack is probably best known for his blues/rock lead and slide guitar playing as a member of The Allman Brothers Band from 1997 to 1999. Often singled out solely as an electric blues slide player, Jack is just as adept in many other musical genres and is able to take each of those to another level with his guitar. His acoustic blues playing style developed from influences such as Blind Willie Johnson and Brownie McGhee."

Flat out, if you like old-school acoustic blues, this is a CD that should merit listening to the soundclips and purchasing. It remains in my listening rotation on a frequent basis, especially when I need to remind myself what the blues is all about! Some soundclip links are include below:

I Can't Stop Tumblin' / I Feel Alright / Minkslide Blues / Mr. Engineer / JB Blues / Waiting On Your Love

You can purchase this CD direct from the artists by clicking here and scrolling down to the third CD!

CD Review By Brian Scherzer

Some of you may remember Jimmy Hall from his days as the frontman for Wet Willie. His appearance on this CD is a totally different happening, and a happening it is! I'll start the review off by stating that this is my favorite "relatively unknown" blues album, even though it was released several years ago (and was re-released in 2006). Jimmy's voice has matured from his days with Wet Willie and his vocal pace on these songs is simply spectacular. Not only does he sing, but Jimmy plays a super blues harp and even pulls out the sax for some added dimension to his performance. As great as Jimmy is, many of you will find that the real story on this CD is Jack Pearson playing guitar. Jack is a Nashville bluesman who played a stint as the Allman Brothers replacement for guitarist Warren Haynes. Jack's playing on the album just absolutely smokes! His tone is incredible, his licks just bursting with feeling, and the impact of his playing lends a real tempo to the music. His solo in "A Change Is Gonna Come" is one of the most tasteful I've heard in a long time.....it literally brought a lump to my throat and gave me a chill. This album has some great songs on it, starting with tunes like "That's The Truth" and "Twenty-Nine Ways" that will pull you up out of your seat. The slide guitar work on some of these numbers is a "how to" experience. I couldn't recommend this CD more highly! “Rendezvous With The Blues” can be purchased at the following CDBaby link, which includes soundclips:

Purchase This CD

CD Review By Brian Scherzer

Every now and then one is lucky enough to stumble onto a CD that has something to it that catches your ear. Garth Webber's independent release, Man On A Mission, happens to fit that description. I first reviewed this CD on the old Blues Forum and my impressions remain the same even after many, many listenings. Here is what I wrote back then: “

"I have listened to this CD over 15 times just to make sure that the first effect wasn't a fluke......it isn't! The more I listen to this recording the more I love it. Garth is a monster guitar player who also happens to sing well and to write some great music. He further displays his multifaceted talents by being the engineer and producer of this fine blues CD. Joining him are a number of truly great musicians, including Robben, Mark, and Patrick Ford, among others. Special recognition must also go out to Jimmy Sanchez, Dewayne Pate, John R. Burr, Robin Roth, Tony Lufrano, John Lee Sanders, and Mz Dee! The flow of the music is wonderful. Each song is full of tasty vocals and playing. I can't think of enough superlatives to express just how much I enjoyed listening to this 12 song product! This is a "must own" CD for any lover of electric blues!”

The details that I would like to add to the old review are that this CD include that this recording is extremely well engineered. The musicians managed to get a very tight overall performance that doesn’t get lost in the sonic landscape. Blues doesn't have to be "all the same". There are some hints of jazz to be found in unexpected places during the listening experience, very reminiscent of flavors found in Robben Ford's music (who happened to be Garth's guitar teacher). The music moves with a solid backbone and is led by some of the tastiest blues chops you’ll hear from a guitar player!

Soundclips from “Man On A Mission”:

Powerful Stuff / Choose My Own Way / Catch That Train / I Got What You Need

This CD is available directly from the artist at this link.