Fitchburg Street

Album review

Doyle Bramhall began his music career on Fitchburg Street in Dallas, and on his album of the same name he applies a healthy slathering of Texas style to some rock, blues, and soul songs from his youth (and one of his own creations). It's a recipe for a raw, messy, and delicious delight for fans of rough-and-tumble bar band blues. Bramhall's style of Texas blues sounds a lot like Stevie Ray Vaughan, and with good reason: Bramhall influenced the Vaughan style, having co-written some of Vaughan's hits, including "Life by the Drop." While Vaughan played it as a soul-wrenching acoustic number on the posthumous The Sky Is Crying, Bramhall picks up the pace to make it a full-throttle rocker. Bramhall's voice is even reminiscent of Vaughan's on many tracks. His vocals are a joyful noise -- what he lacks in talent he makes up for with feeling. He sings with so much enthusiasm on "I'd Rather Be (Blind, Crippled & Crazy)" that you can't help but want to sing along. As befits a Texas blues album, each song features excellent guitar work, and the star guitar belongs to Bramhall's son, Doyle Bramhall II. Doyle the younger plays a mean rhythm guitar and his tone often sounds stolen directly from Vaughan. His shuffle playing on John Lee Hooker's "Dimples" is a dead ringer for Vaughan, while his interpretation of the Band of Gypsies' "Changes" shows that he has some imagination and style of his own. Bramhall's son plays on four tracks, and they shine the most, although the other guitarists and numerous musicians on the album (Bramhall has a lot of friends, it seems) play as tightly as any veteran bar band, held together by Bramhall's solid drumming. The only exception comes on "Sugar (Where'd You Get Your Sugar From)," where Dave Sebree's sloppy slide goes a bit too far out of tune (try a second take next time, guys). But that small misstep can't taint this fun journey through Bramhall's musical memories.

© Michael Gowan /TiVo