I'll Be Your Mule

It is quite appropriate that one of 's albums is titled . Although the singer/guitarist is a native New Yorker and presently lives in San Francisco, is his specialty. used to live in the Windy City, where he was employed by heavyweights like and -- and it was where he recorded in 2000. This CD was produced by guitarist , a bluesman with strong leanings. (who also produced ) definitely knows his ; he could spend hours telling you about the contributions of . And because some (though certainly not all) parts of are -influenced, was the perfect producer for this CD. is especially -minded on 's and the instrumental And yet, he isn't a type of artist, or a disciple of . is an electric Chicago-style bluesman whose roots are , , etc. But that doesn't mean that (who wrote or co-wrote seven of the CD's 13 tracks) can't have some non-Chicago influences. Having a orientation doesn't mean that he can't be influenced by (including ) or incorporate elements occasionally. doesn't have a great voice -- quite honestly, he's a better guitarist than singer. But he usually gets his points across, and while isn't a masterpiece, it is a decent and sincere, if derivative, outing. ~ Alex Henderson