Blues, Rock & Latin guitar on fire meets some really good songs

12 MP3 Songs in this album (54:27) !
Related styles: Blues: Guitar Blues, Rock: Album Rock, Type: Improvisational

People who are interested in Cream Jimi Hendrix Stevie Ray Vaughn should consider this download.


Details:
There are some guys who seem to hold all the cards when it comes to playing guitar. James Howard'sfirst CD released in 1998 is a testimony versatility .
The title track "Electric Rain" is a smoking Texas-style blues shuffle. It smolders along at a âLook At Little Sisterâ pace, has the wha wha pedal guitar overlays, and a rhythm section that drives ahead with lots of power. James Howardâs guitar solo is potent and filled with creativity, and the work of Willy Riser and Mike Vanderhule on bass and drums is like clockwork, and Dave Matthews Hammond B-3 helps things along with some great swells and fills.

Chicken Lipsâ is another killer guitar workout for Howard, although with a different band backing him. This time around, Paul Feia gets the call for bass, David Brownell fills the duties behind the drum kit, and Tony Lufrano handles keyboards. What Howard can do with a guitar is remarkable in a word. âLipsâ is a Travis-guitar instrumental that drills along at breakneck speed, and doesnât let up once the crew is out of the gate. For those of you unversed in where Iâm coming from here; if you know the work of the late Danny Gatton, or his predecessor, the late Roy Buchanan, youâll know what I mean. Howardâs sound here is ripe with reverb and spilling, fluid guitar.

âA Girl Like Youâ is funked-up blues/rock; and the tone Mr. Howard gets is Albert King filtered through Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughn. The tone is crisp and stinging and touched with the right amount of distortion, and the solo, again, is loaded with creative slips and slurs.

âHouse of the Rising Sunâ is taken as a guitar instrumental, and works incredibly well. A slow burner, it gives Howard a chance to stretch out for a little over five minutes, and play the blues. Ranging from restrained and passionate to go-for-the-throat pyrotechnics that will have veteran guitar players wondering where the licks are coming from.

The rest of whatâs here isnât going to be pigeonholed by anyone. Itâs got influences that range from Cream, The Beatles, and Mason Williams, and more. âDrown Her Sorrowâ will call to mind what Clapton was doing in his short-lived Cream years, but also brings the creativity of the Beatles to mind with the vocal harmonies. âMayan Mysteryâ is an instrumental that was recorded âliveâ in Alameda, CA in 1997, along with âChicken Lipsâ. Howardâs guitar here is sweet and brilliant, and laced with Spanish overtones and a fluid approach that is chilling, but the piece de resistance comes at the end. âOpen Up My Heartâ is a slow soul-blues in the Otis Redding vein. Whew, what emotion! As for Howard, heâs tougher to categorize than you might think- sort of a Jimi Hendrix on guitar with John Lennonâs voice and vision.

A guitar player with a ton of tricks up his sleeve, James Howard surely knows his way around the fretboard of his instruments. His voice is strong and heâs ably backed by some stellar workmen who add lots to the CD. He knows his craft and has put forth a strong effort that is deep in the well when it comes to guitar wizardry and creativity.