Top Ten Albums of 2012
6. Gary Clark Jr.- Blak and Blu
Mix the smoothness of Robert Cray, the guitar wizardry of Buddy Guy, and the nastiness of The Black Keys and you wind up with Blak and Blu. Each song has a way of feeling like it's own island, yet it also retains unity with the other tracks on the album. In a day of auto-tuning and the march to conformity, it is refreshing to find an artist who moves in so many directions successfully on the same album.
My favorite track on the album is "Next Door Neighbor Blues." This is a straight up traditional blues song, and it shows his allegiance to the fundamentals of the blues. There are some great youtube videos featuring him playing this, with his foot stomping right along, and it is tough to sit still if you've got some soul.
His cover of "Third From the Sun" and "Love Me Like You Say" shows the range of his ability. If you are going to cover Jimi Hendrix, and do it well, you earn respect. But to put his own unique spin on it and combine it with a cover of "Little Johnny Taylor's" song at the same time, well that is just something that makes him special.
"Travis County" is a straight ahead rocker that reminds me of something Foghat would have marched through in the 70's. The lead track, "Ain't Messin' Round" dips into a funky soul groove and it features his dynamic voice. Often times when you have a guitar genius, you tolerate the vocals, but Gary does a solid job in both departments.
He lists a wide variety of influences from Hendrix, to Otis Reading, Nirvana, and the Strokes. And I can tell you from listening, that he has utilized every one. Well, music is much more fun to listen to than it is to read about, so I'll encourage you to give this album a listen. It is soulful. It is divergent. It is solid.
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