BROTHER TO THE BLUES - TAB BENOIT
Louisiana bluesman Tab Benoit has risen to the top of the genre in the past 15 years, earning his stripes as an instrumentalist, songwriter and vocalist. He’s also earned the right to indulge his fancy a bit, and that is what’s up with “Brother to the Blues.” Guests Jim Lauderdale, Billy Joe Shaver and Waylon Thibodeaux (fiddle) add spice to this special gumbo, and Louisiana’s Leroux backs Benoit from start to finish. Particularly cool tracks include Hank Williams’ “I Heard That Lonesome Whistle,” “Can’t Do One More Two-Step,” Sam Cooke’s “Bring It on Home” and the funky “If You Love Me Like You Say.” Benoit pulls off this moveable feast with ease, which strongly suggests that the student has become the master.–Billboard
