Published on Sep 18, 2000
If you knew nothing about James Armstrong’s past and you picked
up his third disc
Got It Goin’ On, you’d swear you were listening to the
second coming of Robert Cray. If you know anything about his past,
you’d be amazed that Armstrong can play guitar as well as he does,
let alone play the guitar at all.
Armstrong survived a home invasion and stabbing in 1997, which
nearly left him unable to play the instrument on which he was
quickly becoming a star on. After a “rehabilitation” album
Dark Night (which saw Armstrong switch to slide guitar), one
would be hard pressed to say that Armstrong’s playing is at all
lacking. Simply put,
Got It Goin’ On is a wonderful album.
As much as Armstrong is celebrating life, he doesn’t turn his
back on the tenets of the blues, as evidenced on tracks like “Love
Will Make You Do Wrong,” “Beat Up By Love” and “I’ll Learn Some
Time”. What is intriguing is that Armstrong delivers these, as well
as other cuts, with a mixture of down-home blues and whiskey-smooth
soul in his vocals. I compared Armstrong to Robert Cray earlier in
this review; such a comparison is meant as high praise for both
men.
Sure, someone who has followed Armstrong since day one would
point out that he still occasionally utilizes slide guitar; I would
argue that the combination of slide and straight-out guitar playing
enhances the music and gives it a grittier edge. And, frankly, I
like it like this.
Tracks such as “2 Sides,” “Mr. B’s” and the title track all show
that Armstrong is making leaps and bounds not only in his recovery,
but also in his mastery of the blues. My only qualm? I’d like to
hear him put a little more r&b-soul into some of the tracks –
yes, similar to Robert Cray. I listen to
Got It Goin’ On, and I hear more than a little resemblence
to
Strong Persuader. Such a style works well for Armstrong.
Got It Goin’ On is an album that will satisfy blues purists,
afficionados of r&b-infused blues and fans of just plain ol’
good guitar work alike, suggesting that Armstrong is poised for
true superstardom. Here’s hoping this album is the key that will
open that door for him.