Customer Reviews
Mediocre - By: J. Stewart, 25 Jul 2008 
This album got good magazine reviews & although I wasn't overly impressed by "Grant Street" which I already own, I tried it.
Frankly the album is boring. Sometimes you have to listen to a CD a few times to "get it" & I tried with this one, honestly I did. No doubt staunch Landreth fans will give it a 5 star rating but I don't believe it deserves them.
Sonny slides in... - By: G. E. Harrison, 14 Jul 2008 Sonny Landreth is an amazing slide guitarist who has a completely distinctive style that couldn't be any one else. Unfortunately the downside of such distinctiveness is that it can also be a bit samey. I've found his last two CDs a bit samey & was hoping that this CD with its all-star guests could bring something new to his sound. However, I don't think that it does.
For me the overall feel of the CD is too much like all Sonny's other records, there are no new sounds or rhythms & many of the songs sound like tracks he's recorded previously. The guests actually make minimal contributions & the album would have sounded more or less the same if there had been no guests at all. In truth the mix on Sonny's records is too full for another guitarist, & his own guitar sound is so 'massive' that the guest guitarists are reduced to the odd few bars of solos & a bit of noodling aroundin the background before Sonny steamsin again.
'When I Still Had You' with Clapton is probably my favourite track, with Clapton contributing a nice, short solo. Clapton's other track 'Storm Of Worry' is OK as is 'Way Past Long' with Robben Ford but I wasn't convinced by the Hurricane Katrina song 'Blue Tarp Blues' with Mark Knopfler. 'Howlin moon' with Dr. John helping out on keyboards is also a good track which sounds differentin that it has a bit more spacein the mix for the keyboards.
Sonny contributes some fantastic slide playing but I would say if you already have Outward Bound or Levee Town you don't really need this. Overall I also found the album a bit bland & almost 'pop'-sounding I'd like to hear him doing something with a bit more guts, with some good classic blues songs rather than relying too much on his own songs. Two & a half stars...
Two stars - just because the sun is shining at the time of writing. - By: Terence O. Brown, 14 Jul 2008 Sorry all you 5-star reviewers out there, but I tend to agree more with the one star guy.
Yes a guitar fest by some real talents, but I'm afraid to say that by track five I was losing the will to live through boredom.
Each of the artists has done infinitely better as individuals, so quite how they agreed that this was suitable to market is beyond me.
Perhaps better next time.
Excellent ... just excellent - By: southheather, 03 Jul 2008 
With an album of this calibre, it is tempting to slip into muso mode with a lot of technical jargon & overlook the sheer understated, relaxed brilliance of the music & the musicians making it. Suffice it to say that if you had to count the most accomplished guitar playersin the world on one hand, Sonny Landreth should always have a placein the top 5. Whatever your taste, if you like quality workmanship & skilful playingin music that is built to last, give this a try. If you have not listened to Sonny Landreth before, you could bein for a treat. This is music -making at its best. Excellent ... simply excellent.
The Pits - By: Silverback, 13 Jun 2008 
I recently took delivery of this album & frankly I wish I hadn't. While the guitar work is good the whole album (for me) is lack lustre & very boring. It all sounds the same.
Never again Sonny.
