Vintage
Guitar

This is a great CD.  Perhaps top 10 in 2003.  I don’t know much about Barry, but his grasp of the blues is firm.  His playing is smart, with clever twists and turns, but never loses the authenticity. 

The swampy guitar and harp intro of the title cut sets the tone for the album.  Tasty blues soloing with great tone, and a nice vocal from Johnny Dyer.  Dyer does the singing and harp playing on the record, and evokes everyone from Muddy Waters to a smoky church singer.  His style and that of Levenson complement each other wonderfully.  “Chasing the Money” is a funky Chicago-style blues with a great lyric and some bends and vibrato that are textbook.  One aspect of Levenson’s playing I really like is his use of staccato bursts that seem to cut notes off in mid-sound, only to lead to another note that’s more interesting.  He does that throughout the record, but it really comes to the forefront on the instrumental “Inhumanity Blues.”  The biting Fender tone really cuts you right down to the bone.  To top it off, the tune morphs into a slow minor blues, with nice volume swells for good measure.  The first 40 seconds of “I Ain’t Going Back” gives some insight to his playing; smart, with hints of jazz in the solo.  In fact, the instrumental “Slip Me Some Green, Jack” is just plain old organ trio material.  It’s a tour de force of his unique chops with more than a tip of the cap to Grant Green. 

This album challenges other players who want to work in the blues idiom.  Levenson’s playing has a foot firmly in the past but the material is fresh and new.

Vintage Guitar

October, 2003