JIMMY THACKERY & TAB BENOIT
Whiskey Store Live (Telarc)
Reviewed by Eric Steiner

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Over the past couple of years, Jimmy Thackery and Tab Benoit have paired up on the road with a live show billed as the Whiskey Store. I'm pleased to report that Telarc will release Whiskey Store Live, 73 minutes of guitar blues wizardry on February 24th, and having seen Jimmy and Tab separately and together, this document of a guitar-fueled blues tour has been well worth the wait. Six of the nine cuts were on 2002's studio Whiskey Store CD, with the other three from Tab's more recent CDs, These Blues are All Mine (Vanguard, 1999) and Wetlands (Telarc, 2002). Tab brought Carl Dufrene on bass and Darryl White on drums from his band, while Jimmy brought Jimmy Carpenter for the sax, Mark Stutso on drums, and Ken Faltinson on the B-3 from his band, the Drivers. Expect long guitar jams as Jimmy and Tab complement each other on songs like the nine-plus minute "Bayou Boogie" and Jimmy's outstanding vocals on nearly eight minutes of Bob Dylan's "Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat." The longer songs give each guitarist a chance to improvise and play off each other, and the results are magical for fans of guitar blues. I hope that Telarc will consider a follow-up that features some of Jimmy's songs like "Drive to Survive" or "Chained to the Blues Line," but until then, I'm glad that the Whiskey Store is open, Live. Jimmy and Tab began this year touring separately, but I hope their paths on the road will cross again soon.

Track List:

Freddy's Combo * I Got Loaded * Leopard-Skin Pillbox Hat * Bone Pickin' * Away, Way Too Long * Strange Things Happen * Bayou Boogie * These Arms of Mine * Whiskey Store

© 2004 - Eric Steiner