Dave Thompson - Little Dave And Big Love (1995)

Robert Palmer's notes declaring Dave Thompson a "thoroughly original" bluesman "without a veneer of irony or posturing" sound downright ludicrous after actually listening to the music. While he insists that Thompson's songs are "[not] stylistically indebted to any obvious influence," one can clearly hear echoes of Stevie Ray Vaughan, especially on "Instrumental # 7" and "You Took My Baby." Most of the tracks (save the funky "Standing up on My Own") are conventional bar-blues jams, and as such are merely vehicles for Thompson's lead guitar work, which is by far the most enjoyable aspect of the album. Using a quarter as a pick, he produces a lockjaw tone that screams, cries, and slugs with the best of them, making one long for the days when a guitarist of his caliber recognized their limitations and opted to back up a gifted bandleader, instead of wasting their time with boring musicians, writing boring songs, and stifling their own success.