James Blood Ulmer - Black Rock (Japan, 1998)

James "Blood" Ulmer is one of the most intense, original, and underrated guitarists of all time. It's a shame this man isn't feted as genius. His unique thumb-picking style blends the manic passion and expressive volume of Hendrix's best work with the exploratory verve of free jazz and the harmolodic approach of Ornette Coleman (with whom he played and studied) and a funky swagger that Sly Stone would've envied. During his career, his musical seeking has taken him all over the map, from jazz to blues to pop to world music, but it was in the early '80s that Ulmer absolutely rocked on Free Lancing and Black Rock, the later the most sonically massive and wild of the two. He put together his most solid combo on Black Rock, with the tub-thumping bassist Amin Ali and the drum heroics of Grant Calvin Weston. Though many of the songs are instrumental, when he sings, it's a joy; his deep, throaty rumble recalls Louis Armstrong on the restless boogie of "Family Affair." But Ulmer preferred to speak through his instrument, and speak loudly he does. It's hard to find a more powerful 10 seconds in rock or jazz than the opening bars of the title track. He kicks straight to the heart of the song with a blistering guitar run that hits with the force of a ball-peen hammer and a guttural "Unhh!" that says more about what he thinks of rock and black music than a thousand words. --Tod Nelson