Tab Benoit

These Blues Are All Mine (Vanguard)

Listen to "Jambalaya"

New Orleans-based blues guitarist Tab Benoit's gotten a bum rap over the years from certain pundits, who call him brilliant on other performers' albums but not so stellar on his own. His latest on Vanguard shows him coming into his own, with a punchy, slightly edgy, yet thoroughly rocking Crescent City R&B-laced, hard blues disc. The paper packaging (no jewel box) is minimalist and rough, a perfect foil to the music contained within, including covers of old chestnuts such as "Jambalaya," "Crosscut Saw," and "Twenty-Nine Ways," and some nice originals, such as the brooding opener "I'm Tired," the title tune, and "Crawfishin'," one those driving cajun blues that will get even the stodgiest joint jumping. Benoit's voice has developed some gritty character over the years, and goes well with his nonpareil blues guitar mastery. With workmanlike effort, he's slowly building a body of work that should keep the critics happy and the fans dancing along the Texas-Louisiana line. --Don Fluckinger