Description
There aren’t many contemporary blues artists who can boast a catalog of 27 albums. Ronnie Earl, whose debut solo recording arrived in 1983, has been averaging an album a year on a variety of labels. But even with all that quantity, Earl’s quality control has never wavered. Now firmly ensconced on the Canadian-based Stony Plain imprint since 2003, he has aligned with a company that supports his recordings with little regard for hits or chart placement. That has allowed Earl to stretch out without fear of being modified, something he takes advantage of on this, album number 28 and his 14th for Stony Plain.
Since Earl doesn’t sing (powerful vocalist Diane Blue handles a few tunes) or write songs with lyrics (all but one of these compositions are instrumentals following basic blues structures), he focuses on his playing which exudes as much emotion as any singer. Whether he’s unplugged for the stirring “Blues for Ruthie Foster” or electric in the aching slow burn of “Blues for Duke Robillard,” Earl is a one-man master class in restraint, complexity, and sophistication.