RE-RELEASED >2006  (ORIGINAL RELEASE 2001)

“King Guitar” (COOKCD363)

CLICK LINKS TO HEAR TRACKS


CLICK HERE > TRACK 1 > KING GUITAR mp3

CLICK HERE > TRACK 12 > DIVING DUCK mp3


 Michael Messer, King Guitar, was not only the most played blues CD, but it was the 
most played album of the week on college & public radio stations across the USA.(5-1-01 to 5-7-01).

Revue quotes & press cuttings:

"....and the inventive slide-guitar stylings of Michael Messer, who gives 
Sonny Landreth a marathon for his money on King Guitar" 
Tony Russell - MOJO magazine - May 2001

"Michael Messer's poignant Drivin' Wheel Blues Part One is equalled only by Part Two, and
while his playing, with its echoes of Blind Willie Johnson, is always spot on, it's Messer's vocals which 
are the real revelation: heartfelt and pained, full of trial and struggle just like the best blues.
If he were American he'd be right behind Eric Bibb & Alvin Youngblood Heart
in the hipness sweepstakes."
Sid Griffin - Q magazine - May  2001

On some tracks super guitar player Messer is the equal of for instance Ry Cooder,
which can best be heard on the acoustic songs (Roy Acuffs Steel Guitar Blues is a gem)
Best songs are without doubt Rising Sun Blues wherein Michael plays at his very
best, and the two tunes with Jesse ‘Guitar’ Taylor as a guest, Sleepy John Estes’
Worried Life and the almost nine minutes long and very inventive Cannonball Blues.
Marc Nolis - Mazz Musikas - January 2007

Michael Messer is an unavoidable force in modern blues.
 His recent Catfish release, King Guitar, is a product of magical intensity and will.
If Albert Collins’ Ice Pickin’ reacquainted the world with the blues in the 1970’s, then
 King Guitar has met a new century with style, grace,  and a new, colorful direction for the music.
Alan Jones - All About Jazz - November 2001

"It's best of the best time as the UK's premier National & slide guitarist
releases a collection of his greatest songs to date.
Messer's charisma stems just as much from the swing and life - and sometimes downright weirdness- 
he injects into his playing and songs as from his unsurpassable technical skills. 
The title track, King Guitar, lists many of the greats of the instrument
that we all love, but he's far too modest to put himself amongst them - his only oversight".
The Guitar Magazine - March 2001

"The title track, King Guitar, for example, written by Messer's song-writing partner Terry Clarke,
is a Brit slice of modern John Hiatt/Bonnie Raitt, punctuated with vibrant and juicy electric slide."
Dave Burrluck - Guitarist magazine - May 2001

"Michael Messer has been around the British music scene for a while and has several more 
or less obscure albums behind him. King Guitar however could raise his profile sharply if 
enough people hear it. The album is an assured blend of blues, country and original material,
 in a diverse range of settings, featuring the steel guitar. Styles range from the back-country
 acoustic slide of "Rollin 'n' Tumblin'" and his own haunting "Crow Blues", to the thick river-silt 
texture of "Rising Sun Blues" and the title track, where he sounds like a more focused Sonny Landreth. 
Though clearly captivated by the sounds of slide and bottleneck guitar blues, Messer is not in thrall to 
original recordings, and he looks at genre standards from new angles:
"Right Hand Road", a rerouting of "Brownsville Blues", opens on primeval chanting and percussion,
 while "Diving Duck" winds its way to a Zairian guitar coda.
 There's enough skill and imagination  on display here to fire half-a-dozen albums."
 Tony Russell - Amazon.co.uk - June 2001

“What I hear here is the real thing. Bare-bones blues gut-bucket rural rock."
Johnny Cash - Nashville TN

"We couldn't help but turn up the stereo, not wanting to miss a single note of some 
of the best slide guitar we've heard in years. This is a CD you'll be playing over and over. 
The title track "King Guitar" pays homage to likes of Tampa Red, Lonnie Mack, Jimmy Vaughn and Johnny Winter,
 the rest of the CD proves Messer's name deserves to be added to that list.
This album should be a strong contender for the blues album of the year
& is a must buy for any music lover."
Nathan Face & Steam - Blues4u.com - May 2001

"You can almost hear the devilish grin in Messer’s lighthearted vocals as he
 demonstrates  his lauded talents on the steel guitar. 
This affable affair is spirited and lively; it’ll be stuck in your head 
 long after the train has left the station."
Deborah Russell – MUSICBLITZ.com - April 2001

"This album ( King Guitar ) contains so many variations that to review each track
would take too many columns here. Suffice to say that this is a terrific 
collection of material. Michael is a master of styles and this CD is
a joy to hear. It gets better every time you listen to it as you will 
always hear something you missed last time and say to yourself - wow that's different!"
Alan Pearce - Blues Matters! - March 2001

 "Rising Sun Blues" is arranged for just voice and electric guitar, and it is a tour de force of the best kind.
 Messer's chordal work is spine-tingling, and, in his single lines, he worries single notes 
until every last bit of nuance is wrung out of them."  
Joe Milazzo - All About Jazz - May 2001

"Michael Messer's acoustic work is his most special. He approaches Roy Acuff's "Steel Guitar Blues" 
almost from the perspective of the first bottleneck guitar players like Casey Bill Weldon and Kokomo Arnold.
 The sense of melancholy this brings to this old showcase piece is both entirely traditional and utterly fresh.
"Moonbeat" is a classic blues tale of  love in vain that evokes Bukka White's "Sky Songs" in its metaphors;
 Messer's guitar sounds limpid, cloudy at first, slowly becoming more and more penetrating, 
like the chill of the night about which he's singing."  
Joe Milazzo - All About Jazz - May 2001

"His interpretation of Furry Lewis' 'Right Hand Road', is one of the most unusual
that I have ever heard. He has a very personal, often delicate,
 slide touch & his vocals throughout are sincere & honest. 
I am certain King Guitar will have a wide appeal"
Bob Tilling - Blues & Rhythm - June 2001

"Always good to hear musicians who haven't played themselves into a corner,
plus...he's an outstanding acoustic slide player."
CJ Holley - Get Rhythm - May 2001

"Every once in a while a disc falls into the mailbox that practically leaves a writer speechless.
 Michael Messer, Britain's resident slide guitar wizard, if there ever was one, travels a path that
 almost  defies description. Make no mistake, blues is at the core of this 70-plus minute ride of absolutely
 stunning bottleneck styles. This excellent disc deserves a wide audience."
Craig Ruskey - Blues On Stage / Blues Access - June 2001

" There's something fun and catchy about Michael Messer's eclectic album, King Guitar.
His acoustic slide guitar is the epitome of taste on the lovely "Crow Blues" 
and the happy, upbeat "Steel Guitar Blues."  The twists and turns of King Guitar
  keep the listener alert, wondering what interesting arrangement will show up on the next cut.
For blues fans looking for an eclectic touch, King Guitar delivers and then some."
Ronnie D Lankgford Jr - All Music. com

The American debut album for England’s Michael Messer is a masterful 
achievement combining his love of American pre-war Delta blues, Chicago stylings,
 and his love of folk and world beats.
"Not one to miss out on, Messer’s work is innovative while clinging to tradition.
His outlook takes unique musical turns incorporating all of the musical forms that have
touched his soul or turned his heart throughout his lifetime. Hear his love of pre-war players,
 his penchant for combining electric blues, his aching for country and world spirituality in music,
 and his timely production skills in one fell swoop with this biscuit.
 Messer has climbed to new musical heights with this release, King Guitar."
Mark A Cole - Big City Blues - June 2001

 “Mr. Messer's arrangement of "Diving Duck" is one of the best I've heard!” 
Ken Bays - Blues Revue - May 2001

"He's one of England's most respected slide guitarists, yet Michael Messer is all but unknown in the States. 
If there's any justice, that will change with the release of his first album with U.S. distribution, King Guitar.
 "Drivin' Wheel Blues Part 1" is a full-band slow-burn that builds in intensity as Messer  sings 
wryly about not being able to sound like Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf "or even Bruce Springsteen."
Blues Revue - From the Blues Revue website - June 2001

This US release of King Guitar promises to take care of Messer's anonymity problem.
The slide work throughout King Guitar is as refined as it is raw.
"Robert Johnson's Wake" follows blues back to its tribal roots.
Brian Beatty - Blues Revue - September 2001

"Here is a rarity for all the blues purists and music collectors: an English musician mastering
the art of Mississippi Delta-style acoustic slide guitar. The CD, King Guitar, is a collection of
seventeen foot stomping Delta boogie blues. These Hypnotic grooves will make you think you are at a 
late night, front porch jam session in the Delta, passing around a jug of white lightning. From there
 Messer 'slides' into songs that may remind you of the sounds the fathers of Delta blues had....
....honest, raw, unproduced. It is easy to see why Michael Messer was
 voted 'Acoustic Blues Artist of the Year' at the British Blues Awards. 
Wonder if he's ever been to Mississippi........?"
Texas Blues magazine - June 2001

"Throughout the album there are some very, very imaginative arrangements....make 
sure you give this set a listen - then buy it." - Rating - 9.
Norman Darwen - Blueprint - April 2001

He's one hell of a slide player!”
Bill Wilson - Billtown Blue Notes, Williamsport, PA - May 2001

   Slidin' out his debut North American release, English blues man Michael Messer 
shows off his mastery and his love for the slide guitar. Michael takes
 us on a slide guitar odyssey as he flawlessly moves from the screamin' Lone Wolf Blues 
to the softer feel of Crow Blues and Drivin' Wheel Blues Part Two. The upbeat title
 tune King Guitar, pays homage to many of the blues greatest guitar players
 and leave no doubt about what a lad growing up in the U.K. was listening to
and being inspired by in his formative years. I really loved the spooky sounds
 of Robert Johnson's Wake, a great swampy delta feel. 
 If you like Roy Rogers, you'll love Michael Messer! 
I thoroughly enjoyed the disc and Michael's wonderful mastery of the slide guitar. 
My guess is if it has strings, Michael can bend them. Great stuff. 
Larry Lisk – presenter of "Blues Lover" WMNF 88.5 FM, Tampa, Florida
Reviewed by Larry Lisk for The Sun Coast Blues Society  -  May 2001

 “I just got the new Michael Messer release "King Guitar." 
 After listening to it once, I became an instant fan.
  The CD has been added to my playlist and 
I did a feature on it this morning on my blues show.”
Jim Vergeldt - WXOU 88.3 FM, Rochester, Michigan - May 2001  

We love Michael's CD - King Guitar. 
Two of our programmers think it may be the best release of  2001.
Brian Craig.  Program Director - WEVL FM 90 Memphis TN

"Although it was the Brits who kick-started the U.S. blues revival of the 1960s, 
British blues players have almost always been also-rans. Players like Rory Gallagher
 and Peter Green may have pioneered blues rock, but traditional blues was the music of black Americans.
 On the other hand, real blues was the music of a time and that time is no longer, so the vast majority 
of current blues records are exercises in futility. With that bit of baggage, British slide ace Michael Messer 
has fashioned a record that draws on the real deal but puts it into a rather unique setting, no small feat…
…But its snippets like the 30-second, African-styled "Right Hand Road" that hint at what might be
 Messer's most interesting side. There's no shortage of players on either side of the pond who can 
whip up and down a guitar string, but finding one with taste is another matter entirely." ( rating 90 )
Michael Lipton – Launch.com - June 2001

"Michael Messer is King Guitar - from string bending electric, cool, urban blues,
through red-blooded funk.....to the best National Steel slide guitar this side of the big pond. 
The blues is a genus of music generally best experienced 'live'. King Guitar is an exception -
from a musician's musician. It's an absolute essential for lovers of blues and guitar gods! Superb!"
Sue Cavendish - NetRhythms - July 2001

Michael Messer is an addict, an addict of the slide guitar.
 What the Englishman can do with his National Steel is without any comparison.
 Messer is a master of every style, from pre-war & post-war blues to the Delta and Chicago.
 Furthermore he shows an intensity that is seldom found.
 Without any doubt, Messer becomes absorbed in this instrument
 and he is able to make it sound human. From the Delta to Hawaii, from country
 to native American influences, from South Africa
 to Zydeco and Voodoo.... as in "Drivin´ Wheel Blues".
 Dietmar Hoscher - Concerto Magazine - November 2001