Tab Benoit - I Hear Thunder - Import CD

Credits:

Tab Benoit

Description:

Tab Benoit is back. While hes rarely been absent from the road, it took 13 years for him to follow the globally acclaimed Medicine, produced and co-written with Anders Osborne. Benoit hasnt been stuck creatively; it took him that long to free himself from a horrible record deal. Justice Records issued his first five albums while his reputation spread internationally due to the blues guitarist and songwriters innovative playing style. When the label folded in the late 90s, his contract and catalog transferred to Vanguard, then Telarc, then Concord, without his consent. He was unable to extricate himself from it, and simply refused to issue another album without adequate compensation. That contract is finally in the rearview. Benoit formed his own Whiskey Bayou label, and re-teamed with Osborne for I Hear Thunder. Benoit produced and recorded it at his Houma, Louisiana swamp camp studio. The guitarists wrote all ten tracks together, and Osbornes guitar appears on every song. Benoit also employs his longtime rhythm section of bassist Corey Duplechin and drummer Terence Higgins. George Porter, Jr. handles bass duties on two tracks. I Hear Thunder opens with the roiling title-track single. A simple hard rock blues, its punishing vamp governs the track as throbbing bass and thundering tom-toms support Benoits empathetic singing and spooky guitar solo. If this were a different era, the cut would have been an FM radio staple. "The Ghost of Gatemouth Brown" is an homage to the Texas bluesman. Set to a modified version of Bo Diddleys signature "Who Do You Love" vamp, the interplay between guitarists is canny. Osbornes solo highlights the vamp while Benoits bites in the instruments upper register. Its answered by "Still Gray," a local Houma take on a country-waltz that is at once soulful, romantic, and drenched in blues. "Inner Child" is another hard-rocking blues that recalls the psychedelic power blues of Robin Trower, Mountain, and Cream. "Watching the Gators Roll In" is an old-school swamp shuffle with an unforgettable melody. The ballad "Overdue" is a showcase for Benoits truly remarkable singing and vocal technique, which have only become more disciplined, emotionally expressive, and resonant over the years. "Why, Why" is a nocturnal NOLA-styled blues with killer fills from the guitarists and tasty snare rimshots. Porters bass anchors both "Little Queenie," a good-time swamp rock blues and "Im a Write That Down," with its funky R&B vamp. Set-closer "Bayou Man" is a hard blues guitar anthem seeded in a swamp funk setting. Its another perfect example of Benoits vocals and lyrics selling the song. The two guitarists actively play foils for the rhythm section, who lay down an unshakeable pulse. I Hear Thunder is not only the musical peer of 2011s Medicine, its songwriting, intricate playing, and singing actually place it on a higher rung of the creative ladder. ~ Thom Jurek