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Guitar Jack Wargo—Blues Therapy—Independent
(www.guitarjackwargo.com)

Los Angeles based Guitar Jack has toured with
Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, Hank Ballard, and Solomon

Burke, and recorded with Ray Charles and Billy Preston
– so he does know his chops. Mind you, anyone hearing
this album will gather that for themselves.

Jack made his solo debut album in 2000 and now has a
pretty reputable discography, which this release will
only enhance. ‘All Tore Up’ helps Jack set out his stall, a

muscular shuffle (Tony Braunagel on drums) with the maybe not unexpected
influence of Freddie King, particularly on the guitar work. It is a lovely way to open
proceedings, and the same Freddie King inspiration pervades the next track up, ‘Here
And Now’, with fine organ playing too.

Other tracks include an instrumental blues ballad, a poppy number in ‘You And Me
Baby’ (shades of Eric Clapton’s more laid-back material on this one), and more fine
blues shuffles such as ‘Say You Love Me Do’. The closing ‘Color Blind’ is an old-

fashioned jazzy blues instrumental – and that’s not a complaint, by the way!

I enjoyed this set a lot. It’s well worth checking out. Yes, it will make you feel good…

Norman Darwen

The Reverend Shawn Amos—Vivir En Espaňa—

Immediate Family
(www.shawnamos .com)

Recorded over two nights on his Spanish tour in March

2024, in front of an enthusiastic audience, this live
album from the good Reverend is only available as a
digital release. I do prefer physical releases, but it is

certainly good to hear these thirteen tracks. The Rev
and his band are in excellent form throughout.

Reverend Amos shows the variety of his approach here
– there are straight blues of course, but then a song like ‘Hold Back’ approaches Doctor

Feelgood territory – and yes, that’s the Essex Delta guys, in case you were wondering.
By that time, he’s already given us a taste of blues-rock with ‘Hammer’ as well as
hinting at Sonny Boy Williamson No. 1 in his harmonica playing earlier. ’27 Dollars’

is a spikey Chicago blues flavoured number, with a lovely blues harp break, and some
tough guitar work by JT Loux – he is exemplary throughout.

‘Joliet Bound’ is the old Joe McCoy prison blues re-energised, as he first recorded it
back in 2016, before he tackles Wilson Pickett’s ‘Ninety Nine And One-Half Won’t Do’