Jim Suhler & Alan Haynes – Live At Blue Cat Blues (Topcat Records).
Jim Suhler and Alan Haynes are two names that I’m not too familiar with but on reading their histories I’m surprised that I haven’t. Suhler has accompanied heavyweights such as George Thorogood and Haynes has played with Muddy Waters, Albert Collins and Hubert Sumlin, amongst others. No pressure then! They open with Too Poor To Die, a Louisiana Red song that is a pounding Chicago blues. This is a slide guitar festival and the Thorogood power is evident. Suhler has the vocal for this and passes it off effectively. Knockin’ At Your Door is an Eddie Taylor song and Suhler & Haynes give it a great slide guitar intro before going off into top class blues rock. I can’t remember if Rory Gallagher covered this but, if he did then Suhler & Haynes more than matched it. Haynes takes the vocal and although his voice is softer he does carry the same sort of effectiveness. They turn to Freddie King for I Wonder Why and Hynes keeps the vocal. Good enough version and that’s all I have to say. Down And Out In Texas follows and this is an original Suhler composition. This is a chugging blues where Suhler takes on the vocal himself and both provide some lovely guitar. Haynes is considered to be more of the blues stylist but their interaction is quite superb.
Don’t Do It is a good rocking blues that gets the crowd going and twin guitars swapping riffs is just what I want to hear. This is followed by Oh My Baby’s Gone which is a rhythmic blues played with ease and a slower Say Your Prayers. This is possibly the weakest track on the album and although I can’t complain about the standard of the guitar playing, there’s just something missing! They finish with a cover of Jimi Hendrix’s Are You Experienced. A mistake, I hear you ask? Maybe, but this is technically excellent although not up to the masters standard.
http://www.topcatrecords.com/
David Blue.
Jim Suhler and Alan Haynes are two names that I’m not too familiar with but on reading their histories I’m surprised that I haven’t. Suhler has accompanied heavyweights such as George Thorogood and Haynes has played with Muddy Waters, Albert Collins and Hubert Sumlin, amongst others. No pressure then! They open with Too Poor To Die, a Louisiana Red song that is a pounding Chicago blues. This is a slide guitar festival and the Thorogood power is evident. Suhler has the vocal for this and passes it off effectively. Knockin’ At Your Door is an Eddie Taylor song and Suhler & Haynes give it a great slide guitar intro before going off into top class blues rock. I can’t remember if Rory Gallagher covered this but, if he did then Suhler & Haynes more than matched it. Haynes takes the vocal and although his voice is softer he does carry the same sort of effectiveness. They turn to Freddie King for I Wonder Why and Hynes keeps the vocal. Good enough version and that’s all I have to say. Down And Out In Texas follows and this is an original Suhler composition. This is a chugging blues where Suhler takes on the vocal himself and both provide some lovely guitar. Haynes is considered to be more of the blues stylist but their interaction is quite superb.
Don’t Do It is a good rocking blues that gets the crowd going and twin guitars swapping riffs is just what I want to hear. This is followed by Oh My Baby’s Gone which is a rhythmic blues played with ease and a slower Say Your Prayers. This is possibly the weakest track on the album and although I can’t complain about the standard of the guitar playing, there’s just something missing! They finish with a cover of Jimi Hendrix’s Are You Experienced. A mistake, I hear you ask? Maybe, but this is technically excellent although not up to the masters standard.
http://www.topcatrecords.com/
David Blue.
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