ALL MUSIC GUIDE - EXPERT REVIEW:
There's something fun and
catchy about Michael
Messer's eclectic album, King Guitar. Although the guitar
featured on the cover is a vintage acoustic model, the music runs
the gauntlet between down-and-dirty electric blues and quiet Delta
slide. In a way, this mixture is sort of like an early Fleetwood
Mac, with Peter
Green and Jeremy
Spencer bringing different blues styles together in one group. Messer,
however, accomplishes all of this by himself. His acoustic slide
guitar is the epitome of taste on the lovely "Crow Blues" and the
happy, upbeat "Steel Guitar Blues." His playing style seems centered
on laying down what works best for a particular song as opposed to
showing off. The title cut features rousing electric slide and
stirring background vocals, while "Lone Wolf Blues" offers a
stinging slide tribute to the single life. The humming and moaning
of "Rollin' n' Tumblin'" is set to steady percussion and lively
slide, creating a compelling and primitive spiritual, while
"Drivin'
Wheel Blues Part Two" adds Little
Feat funk to the program, with Andy
Crowdy's bass holding up the bottom end and propelling the music
forward. Messer's
vocals comfortably bridge the gap of the multiple styles on King Guitar, and the material
manages to remain original while staying within the blues tradition.
The twists and turns of King Guitar keep the listener alert,
wondering what interesting arrangement will show up on the next cut.
The album's length is generous, with 17 cuts and over 70 minutes of
music.
For blues fans looking for an eclectic touch, King Guitar delivers and then some.
- by Ronnie D. Lankford Jr.