598 Stevie Ray Vaughan - Texas Flood (1983)

 598 Stevie Ray Vaughan - Texas Flood (1983)

Studio Album - Modern Blues


About the Act:

Stevie Ray Vaughan, sometimes referred to as SRV was an American Blues Rock guitarist from Dallas, Texas. He came to prominence in the early 80s with his band Double Trouble, and spearheaded a new wave of blues guitarists. His life was troubled by drug and alcohol addiction, but when he died in 1990, he had rehabilitated, and his death was due to a helicopter accident. He has been recognised as one of the world's greatest guitarists. 

About the Album:

This was his first album, recorded with Double Trouble.

My History with this Album:

None.

Review:

This almost entirely what I think of as Modern Blues. I know that 1983 doesn't feel like that modern, but this is a label I put on blues since about 1970. This encompasses acts like Eric Clapton (significantly), Gary Moore, Robert Cray, Jeff Beck, Ry Cooder, and more recently Joe Bonnamassa. The thing that they all have in common is being virtuoso guitar heroes, and the blues they play, or have played, is more like the "old" blues of people like Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson, than the blues rock of, well many, many bands.  The bits of this that are not blues are a couple of more rock n roll numbers (think Chuck Berry) and the last track on the album which is a gentle ballad instrumental that reminds me of Steve Vai. It's nice. In fact, it is my favourite track on the album.

The guitar sound is pretty static. It's all about the guitar (electric lead blues guitar of course). The guitar playing is very technical and competent, slick even. The backing is decent, the singing is reasonable, the songs are OK, fairly typical blues stuff, but let's be honest here, this is all about the guitar.

This kind of guitar-hero led blues is very much one of my go-to genres of music. I am a long-term fan of Eric Clapton's and some of the others mentioned above. I have a particular love for Gary Moore, and have seen him live. This is very much in the vein of Gary Moore, to be honest, sung sections and long guitar instrumental sections. As I said before it is competent, actually more than competent. Very technical, very skilled, very listenable. Now for the but. But it's a little clinical, and lacking in "feel" for me. This is really in comparison to Gary Moore, Ry Cooder, oh I'm on this list again. It's good, and I love the genre, it's B-list rather than A-list for me, and the reason is not technique or ingenuity, but the feel of it is a bit lacking. A bit. 

Still good, though.

7.8/10


Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1AL5oXZRtTc8PyhcTwg4xQ

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL02pDPRbhcyaas4VyaJCk9CszCZ88-_3F

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Flood



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