JOHN EMMS MUSIC REVIEWS

IF the grafitti that proclaimed  CLAPTON IS GOD was applied to RONNIE EARL’s guitar tone it might come out “EARL IS HEAVEN SENT”

Without going int0 the usual  top 100 guitarists of all time scenario only a few guitar albums/ players in the last 10 years  have  riveted my attention in the way Earl has.

No question guitar players like Jeff Beck, John Mayer, Jack De Keyzer, Joe Louis Walker, Warren Haynes and others can lay claim to stopping you in your tracks but Earl is at the top of the mountain.

AND THIS CD IS YOUR PROOF

You can be anywhere doing anything but when you hear  Ear’ls groove and lead lines snake in behind the Booker T wall of Dave Limina’s Hammond B-3 on the track Happy you just have  to stop and absorb it.

That happens a lot on SPREAD THE LOVE. Check out the other wordly volume intro licks by Earl floating into your conscience on Patience, or the mighty groove  of Lorne Entress’s drums and slinky bass work of Jim Mouradian as they propel Earl’s cover of Albert Collins’ Backstroke.

OH yes folks THE BROADCASTERS..worship at the chuch of  Booker T and MG’s

Elsewhere Earl’s taps into Chili Con Carne from Kenny Burrell’s Midnight Blue period updating the sound but always staying true to Burrell’s original BLUE NOTE sound and feel. Piano man Limina gets “ALL OTIS’ on his tribute Spann on Spann’s Groove, with Earl ripping up T-Bone- esque double licks on the outro.  

I can’t go into every track here, but when you hear Earl and The Broadcasters let loose on Blues For Slim you may run out and get your MIKE BLOOMFIELD cd’s and start cranking them.

IT’S quite possible this album  may be the purest instrumental form of blues and soul of the last 10 years, and in it’s own way equal at times to the way the Memphis soul and the jazz period of Blue Note got into your guts. IT’S THAT GOOD

It would be nice to see this entire cd performed start to finish  by the band and filmed in 5.1 HIgh Defintion Blu-ray.

That would be a treasure!!!  Heck have a party and throw in a few guests like De Keyzer, Robillard and Landreth and put me beside the sound board!!! 

JOHN EMMS is a veteran Music Journalist, radio show host, and musician

radio http://emms.podbean.com/ music www.johnemms.com       www.theshaftmen.com