Published on May 31, 1999
On paper, the teaming of famed blues guitarists Lonnie Brooks,
Long John Hunter and Phillip Walker would seem like a great idea.
They all came into music in the same fashion and grew up loving the
same kind of blues. And their home label, Alligator, is no stranger
at putting together these special jam sessions; over a decade ago,
they paired up Albert Collins, Johnny “Clyde” Copeland and Robert
Cray on
Showdown!, a disc released to great critical acclaim.
But the end result of this latest teaming,
Lone Star Shootout, doesn’t have the kind of magic that I
would have expected to hear from such a project. Instead of hearing
a flood of creativity and blues magic pouring out from my speakers,
what ends up coming out seems like solo side projects – and I don’t
think that’s how they intended this to turn out.
It is interesting to note that this summit of guitar players
utilizes some of Antone’s best-known names, such as Derek O’Brien
and Marcia Ball – interesting to me because they record for a rival
blues label. The cooperation, both professionally and musically, on
this disc is to be admired.
If you think that each of the 15 tracks on
Lone Star Shootout is going to be a showcase of all three
guitarists, then you are going to be in for a great disappointment.
Only three tracks – “Roll, Roll, Roll”, “Bon Ton Roulet” and “It’s
Mighty Crazy” – feature the work of all three stars. Too bad,
’cause these moments are some of the most magical on the disc.
A good portion of the album features one of the three stars in
the spotlight, while a second plays rhythm guitar or provides a
running commentary (as Brooks does on “Alligators Around My Door”,
a track featuring Hunter on vocals and solo). What is disappointing
in these tracks is that the magic one would expect, even from a
limited pairing, is just not there, and these tracks, while
listenable, come off sounding a bit cold and distant.
Further hampering efforts to really make this a blues
tour-de-force is the introduction of a fourth member – Ervin
Charles – into the trio. Now, Charles has the chops that could make
him a major player in the blues scene, and I don’t want to deny him
his opportunity to do so. But his appearance on two cuts – one
without
any of the three top-billed players – seems to break up the
harmony. I wouldn’t have minded much had he been included in one of
the tracks featuring all the players; I would have liked to have
heard how he held up with the established names. Charles shall have
his moment of glory; this, however, was not the time to stick him
on the stage.
While most of the material on
Lone Star Shootout is passable, there are a few standout
numbers – and while I know I’m going to contradict what I just said
one paragraph ago, one of the tracks was the Charles solo number,
“Born In Louisiana”. Others, like “I Met The Blues In Person”
(featuring Walker on lead vocal and guitar) and “You’re Playing
Hooky” (a duet between Brooks and Walker) do shine forth on this
disc.
Where I think
Lone Star Shootout suffers is in the fact that many of these
songs sound like they belong on the individual artists’ solo
albums. It’s almost like they brought leftovers from projects and
converted them into numbers that could fit in another star name.
What I would have much rather heard would have been some
down-and-dirty blues duels between these guitarists. Having seen
Brooks perform live, I know that his chops are solid enough to hold
his own in such an axe duel.
If you’re a fan of any of the star performers, then you’re sure
to enjoy
Lone Star Shootout to a point. But if you enter this
expecting to have your cup overflowing with Southern blues from
three of its top players, you may be disappointed that the cup
isn’t totally full.