Triple Troubles

Shawn Pittman is one of the most popular and creative roots artists to emerge in recent years. On this newest CD Triple Troubles, Shawn is teamed up by two old times friends, The Moeller Brothers, Johnny on guitar and Jay on drums, from The Fabulous Thunderbirds. Since he first started the Shawn Pittman Band sixteen years ago, Shawn's career has been marked by one triumph after another. He's gone from performing at a tiny Dallas or Austin saloon to opening for B.B. King. Is nationally and internationally acclaimed as one of the most compelling artists in the Blues. Not surprising, given his innate charisma and skills as a supremely talented guitarist & vocalist, and engaging songwriter. This subsequent output on the past 8 CDs has only served to further establish Shawn as one of the leading younger bluesmen on the scene today ! Check out those new killer recordings ! This is the third album that Shawn has recorded for the Feelin’ Good Label (the previous two being “Movin’ & Groovin,’” Feelin’ Good Records 009 and “Too Hot” Feelin’ Good Records 011) the first being a collected overview of previous recordings taken from his first four albums, whilst the second album is a scorching selection of ‘live in the studio’ standards with his european touring band. This, his third is a lively mixture of the old and new but, with an interesting literal twist; this, being a time delay of ten years, for nine of the numbers he recorded in two thousand with the Moeller Brothers Jon; guitars and Jason; drums, in the early days when Shawn was just starting to carve out a name for himself in Dallas. Jon and Jason are now well known stalwarts of the Fabulous Thunderbirds and Shawn meanwhile is blitzkrieging his own breathtaking path to the Blues premier league. In May of this year they reconvened to the Fort Horton Studios in Austin Texas, the very same studios in which they used to make their earlier recordings, this time around they literally picked-up from where they had left-off and finished-off the set with six fresh new recordings. The numbers here are unusually played without the use of a bass; they simply use lead and rhythm guitars with drums. They have taken their inspiration to create the raw, stripped down blues rocking street sound from the likes of Hound Dog Taylor, Robert Nighthawk and Little Walter to name but a few. The singular crucial factor on the good rockin’ grooves here is that there are no overdubs whatsoever on any of the numbers that are laid down here for your delectation, this allows the essence and feeling of the low down and dirty down-home music, to seep through your speakers, giving you a naturally raw musical experience; the resulting atmosphere that permeates throughout the whole proceedings is one of sweat, beer, bourbon and almost sleazy good-times. Throughout the album the numbers time and again give Shawn, Jon and Jason ample opportunity to display their relaxed natural cohesive interplay. Regardless of the fact that there is a ten year time gap between these recordings one cannot find any discernable differences in quality, style, competence or capability it is almost like they finished the session on a Friday night and on Monday morning they simply picked up from where left off and started again. The relentless invention of Shawn and Jon’s guitar work is truly amazing; whether they are adding a funky interplay to a series of bluesy shuffles or swapping jabbing and stabbing guitar solos, their energy, enthusiasm and skill never falters. It merely moves on to another scintillating level, all the while Jason is dextrously pummelling his skins to within an inch of their life providing the powerhouse backbeat. Jimmy Reeds “The Judge Should Know,” is so wonderfully laconic it is almost horizontal, Shawn not only matches Jimmy’s legendary drawl but matches it with some equally enticing lazy sounding guitar. Lonesome Sundown’s “My Home is a Prison,” is a stunning pleader, Shawn creates a twangin’ and ringing effect which lingers long in the ears. Shawn, Jon and Jason together have created fifteen inspiring rip-roaring, toe-tapping blues blasters that contain the eternal effervescing spirit of the blues, regardless as to whether the times are bad or good, the music will see you through. I think that you will find the music on this album a time warp master blaster! Brian Harman (Contributor to: Blues Art Studio, Blues in the South, MN Blues and Blues Matters)