Graham Reid | | <1 min read
Tab Benoit: Nothing Takes the Place of You
Soulful blues with a dark bayou twist is Tab Benoit's musical style, but he also locates lyrics in this world, whether it be a relationship going to hell (“We've been fighting over nothing”) or the Louisiana environment on the same path (“Whatcha gonna tell the children/trees/spirits when the heart of the bayou bleeds”).
A great band (Ivan Neville on Hammond, drummer Brady Blade, fiddle player Michael Doucet), too many workmanlike songs in the middle, but the quieter final third is exceptional (Nothing Takes the Place of You and Next To Me are somewhere between mature Otis and story-telling Springsteen).
The tough title track (which musically references a bayou Hendrix) is about "medicine" but he's equally at home on the slower numbers (Sunrise which follows Medicine is a standout soul-blues).
And there is his brittle, blunt, soul-filled and/or tough guitar everywhere.
Pick up the Tab. He's important.
Like the sound of this, then check out this.
Mike - Nov 19, 2013
From the track Nothing Takes the Place of You, this sounds like an album to look out for and being Telarc, the production will be really good. Where can you get the album from? GRAHAM REPLIES: Simple: type in "tab benoit" to amazon.com and (under music) he'll come up, also check elsewhere for other albums by him [search function, type in his name]. We've been onto this guy for a loooong time.
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