10210 - GARY CLARK JR. - THE STORY OF SONNY BOY SLIM (2015)
GARY CLARK JR.
''THE STORY OF SONNY BOY SLIM''
2015
53:42
1 The Healing 04:48
2 Grinder 03:22
3 Star 04:44
4 Our Love 04:11
5 Church 05:10
6 Hold On 03:46
7 Cold Blooded 03:43
8 Wings 04:12
9 BYOB 01:00
10 Can't Sleep 03:47
11 Stay 03:45
12 Shake 03:17
13 Down to Ride 07:52
Gary Clark Jr. - All Vocals, Lead Guitar, Bass Guitar, Drums, Keyboards, Snaps On 4, Claps On 12, Harmonica On 5
King Zapata - Guitar On 11
Johnny Bradley - Bass Guitar On 1, 7, 12
Christopher Copeland - Intro On 1
Johnny Radelat - Drums On 7
Shawn Clark, Savannah Clark - Backing Vocals On 1, 3, 5
Jason Frey - Baritone Sax On 2, Tenor Saxophone On 13
Cheex - Synthesizer On 3, Snaps On 4, Claps On 11
Hard Proof Horns - Horns On 4, 6, 7, 9, 13
Lewis Stephens - Organ, Piano On 4, 7, Organ On 9
Nicole Trunfie and Zion Rain Clark - Intro On 6
Tameca Jones - Backing Vocals On 8
JJ Johnson - Drums On 10
Jacob Sciba - Bass Guitar On 11
Jay Moeller - Drums On 12
Derek Phelps - Trumpet On 13
Joe Woullard - Baritone Saxophone, Flute On 13
**********
REVIEW
Mark Deming
The original line on Gary Clark, Jr. was that the young Texas guitarist was supposed to be the future of the blues, having been mentored by Jimmie Vaughan and Eric Clapton, but as his star rises, Clark has made it increasingly clear that his creative ambitions run a lot deeper than being the next hotshot guitar slinger. On his major-label debut, 2012's Blak and Blu, Clark demonstrated he isn't interested in following the path of blues traditionalists, and while there's plenty of great guitar work on 2015's The Story of Sonny Boy Slim, this is by no means a conventional blues album. Rather, The Story of Sonny Boy Slim is a thoughtful and passionate amalgam of African-American music past and present, and the blues is one of many crucial ingredients in the formula along with R&B, soul, rock & roll, funk, gospel, and hip-hop (the cyclical drum and guitar patterns that dominate many tracks demonstrate in themselves that the aural dividing line between blues and hip-hop isn't as wide as some like to imagine). Clark's guitar work is outstanding throughout, but his style is more about expressive layers of sound than tasty licks, and this isn't a guitar album so much as an album that features a lot of guitar amidst a rich variety of ingredients, which may not please folks waiting for a new Stevie Ray Vaughan. And Clark has more on his mind than the accepted templates of electric blues; the raw, swaggering R&B throb of "Grinder" accompanies a meditation on poverty and materialism, the acoustic street-corner jam of "Church" tells the tale of a man torn by love and loyalty, "Hold On" marries taut soul figures to bitter, heartsick observations on the struggles of the African-American community ("Seems like new news is the old news from a different angle/Another mother on TV crying 'cause her boy didn't make it"), "Can't Sleep" evokes Chic as Clark sings of falling for the wrong woman, and the rough landscape of guitars and percussion on "Wings" complements a tale of struggle that might not out be out of place on There's a Riot Goin' On. And the most explicitly bluesy cut on the album, "Shake," is a raw slice of juke joint jump that evokes Hound Dog Taylor more than the polished showmen Clark was expected to follow onto the blues circuit. Blues may be at the root of nearly everything on The Story of Sonny Boy Slim, but it's not the sum total of Clark's musical world-view, and if he's abdicated the position of the future of the blues, this music declares that Clark is one artist who will see to it that the blues does indeed have a future, which is what makes him important and Sonny Boy Slim a serious leap forward from Blak and Blu.
**********
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
Steve Leggett
Texas guitarist Gary Clark, Jr. has been compared to guitar icons like Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan, and his playing is a powerful and inspired mix of blues roots with contemporary soul and hip-hop, and when he's rolling at his best, he sounds like nothing so much as a natural hybrid of both the past and the future of the blues. Born and raised in Austin, Texas, Clark first picked up a guitar at the age of 12 and spent his teens playing whatever gig he could get in the Austin area, eventually meeting Clifford Antone, promoter and owner of Antone's, the city's premier blues club, who began featuring Clark at his venue. An amazing live performer, Clark soon became one of the brightest players on Austin's blues and rock scene. He released an independent album, 2005's Tribute, followed by a pair of self-produced albums in 2008 for Hotwire Unlimited, 110 and Worry No More. An EP, Gary Clark Jr., also appeared from Hotwire in 2010.
But Clark was far from just a one-trick pony guitar gunslinger. He could also sing, write, and arrange. He wrote the original score for the film Full Count and also appeared as an actor in John Sayles' 2007 film Honeydripper. In 2010, Clark was selected by Eric Clapton to perform at the Crossroads Guitar Festival, and a DVD of the show featuring Clark led to a recording deal with Warner Bros. Clark was soon in the studio working on his major-label debut. An EP called Bright Lights was released in 2011 in advance of the new album, Blak and Blu, which appeared in the fall of 2012. His next release was the impressive two-disc Live, recorded during an 18-month-long tour behind Blak and Blu, and one that perhaps better represented Clark's wild, impassioned, and often elegantly graceful live sets. After more touring, including dates opening for the Rolling Stones and the Foo Fighters, Clark released his second major-label studio set, 2015's The Story of Sonny Boy Slim.
**********
BIOGRAPHY/WIKIPEDIA
**********
WEBSITE
**********
TO THE TOP
**********
''THE STORY OF SONNY BOY SLIM''
2015
53:42
1 The Healing 04:48
2 Grinder 03:22
3 Star 04:44
4 Our Love 04:11
5 Church 05:10
6 Hold On 03:46
7 Cold Blooded 03:43
8 Wings 04:12
9 BYOB 01:00
10 Can't Sleep 03:47
11 Stay 03:45
12 Shake 03:17
13 Down to Ride 07:52
Gary Clark Jr. - All Vocals, Lead Guitar, Bass Guitar, Drums, Keyboards, Snaps On 4, Claps On 12, Harmonica On 5
King Zapata - Guitar On 11
Johnny Bradley - Bass Guitar On 1, 7, 12
Christopher Copeland - Intro On 1
Johnny Radelat - Drums On 7
Shawn Clark, Savannah Clark - Backing Vocals On 1, 3, 5
Jason Frey - Baritone Sax On 2, Tenor Saxophone On 13
Cheex - Synthesizer On 3, Snaps On 4, Claps On 11
Hard Proof Horns - Horns On 4, 6, 7, 9, 13
Lewis Stephens - Organ, Piano On 4, 7, Organ On 9
Nicole Trunfie and Zion Rain Clark - Intro On 6
Tameca Jones - Backing Vocals On 8
JJ Johnson - Drums On 10
Jacob Sciba - Bass Guitar On 11
Jay Moeller - Drums On 12
Derek Phelps - Trumpet On 13
Joe Woullard - Baritone Saxophone, Flute On 13
**********
REVIEW
Mark Deming
The original line on Gary Clark, Jr. was that the young Texas guitarist was supposed to be the future of the blues, having been mentored by Jimmie Vaughan and Eric Clapton, but as his star rises, Clark has made it increasingly clear that his creative ambitions run a lot deeper than being the next hotshot guitar slinger. On his major-label debut, 2012's Blak and Blu, Clark demonstrated he isn't interested in following the path of blues traditionalists, and while there's plenty of great guitar work on 2015's The Story of Sonny Boy Slim, this is by no means a conventional blues album. Rather, The Story of Sonny Boy Slim is a thoughtful and passionate amalgam of African-American music past and present, and the blues is one of many crucial ingredients in the formula along with R&B, soul, rock & roll, funk, gospel, and hip-hop (the cyclical drum and guitar patterns that dominate many tracks demonstrate in themselves that the aural dividing line between blues and hip-hop isn't as wide as some like to imagine). Clark's guitar work is outstanding throughout, but his style is more about expressive layers of sound than tasty licks, and this isn't a guitar album so much as an album that features a lot of guitar amidst a rich variety of ingredients, which may not please folks waiting for a new Stevie Ray Vaughan. And Clark has more on his mind than the accepted templates of electric blues; the raw, swaggering R&B throb of "Grinder" accompanies a meditation on poverty and materialism, the acoustic street-corner jam of "Church" tells the tale of a man torn by love and loyalty, "Hold On" marries taut soul figures to bitter, heartsick observations on the struggles of the African-American community ("Seems like new news is the old news from a different angle/Another mother on TV crying 'cause her boy didn't make it"), "Can't Sleep" evokes Chic as Clark sings of falling for the wrong woman, and the rough landscape of guitars and percussion on "Wings" complements a tale of struggle that might not out be out of place on There's a Riot Goin' On. And the most explicitly bluesy cut on the album, "Shake," is a raw slice of juke joint jump that evokes Hound Dog Taylor more than the polished showmen Clark was expected to follow onto the blues circuit. Blues may be at the root of nearly everything on The Story of Sonny Boy Slim, but it's not the sum total of Clark's musical world-view, and if he's abdicated the position of the future of the blues, this music declares that Clark is one artist who will see to it that the blues does indeed have a future, which is what makes him important and Sonny Boy Slim a serious leap forward from Blak and Blu.
**********
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
Steve Leggett
Texas guitarist Gary Clark, Jr. has been compared to guitar icons like Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan, and his playing is a powerful and inspired mix of blues roots with contemporary soul and hip-hop, and when he's rolling at his best, he sounds like nothing so much as a natural hybrid of both the past and the future of the blues. Born and raised in Austin, Texas, Clark first picked up a guitar at the age of 12 and spent his teens playing whatever gig he could get in the Austin area, eventually meeting Clifford Antone, promoter and owner of Antone's, the city's premier blues club, who began featuring Clark at his venue. An amazing live performer, Clark soon became one of the brightest players on Austin's blues and rock scene. He released an independent album, 2005's Tribute, followed by a pair of self-produced albums in 2008 for Hotwire Unlimited, 110 and Worry No More. An EP, Gary Clark Jr., also appeared from Hotwire in 2010.
But Clark was far from just a one-trick pony guitar gunslinger. He could also sing, write, and arrange. He wrote the original score for the film Full Count and also appeared as an actor in John Sayles' 2007 film Honeydripper. In 2010, Clark was selected by Eric Clapton to perform at the Crossroads Guitar Festival, and a DVD of the show featuring Clark led to a recording deal with Warner Bros. Clark was soon in the studio working on his major-label debut. An EP called Bright Lights was released in 2011 in advance of the new album, Blak and Blu, which appeared in the fall of 2012. His next release was the impressive two-disc Live, recorded during an 18-month-long tour behind Blak and Blu, and one that perhaps better represented Clark's wild, impassioned, and often elegantly graceful live sets. After more touring, including dates opening for the Rolling Stones and the Foo Fighters, Clark released his second major-label studio set, 2015's The Story of Sonny Boy Slim.
**********
BIOGRAPHY/WIKIPEDIA
**********
WEBSITE
**********
TO THE TOP
**********
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