Buddy Whittington - Six String Svengali (2011)
Buddy Whittington - Six String Svengali (2011)
1 Back When The Beano Was Boss 3:48 2 Deadwood And Wire 4:17 3 My World Revolves Around You 3:29 4 Ain't Got The Scratch 3:45 5 I Had To Go See Alice 3:18 6 Fender Champ 2:59 7 Six String Romance 2:47 8 Texas Trios 2:51 9 The Put On Song 3:44 10 For Crystal Beach 3:18 11 While We're Here 4:01 Buddy Whittington - Guitar, Vocals Wayne Six - Bass Mike Gage - Drums
This is one 'Six String Svengali' who is a match for the best of them.
Considering that his band has at one time or another contained such guitar luminaries as Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Mick Taylor and Walter Trout, when John Mayall singled Buddy Whittington out as “Probably the best Bluesbreaker of them all”, then you really have to sit up and take notice.
The cover picture of Buddy may give the impression that he is a smiley chubby chap likely to be found entertaining at some holiday camp near you, but slap on his second solo album ‘Six String Svengali’ and you’ll find some top notch shit-kicking Texas blues rock. Not only is this an album crammed with bluesy authenticity, but Whittington also brings a rich vocal to compliment his stunning, if often pleasantly under-stated guitar work, as well as a keen sense of humour. That humour shines through in ‘Deadwood And Wire’ where he laments about the finer points of buying an old-new guitar, with lines like “You know an old Fender’s nice, but considering the price, I think I sound the same on a Squire!”, and it is a feature of many of the songs on ‘SSS’.
He may not take himself too seriously, but his Texas blues is not something to be laughed at, with early ZZ Top often being a favourable comparison for the likes of ‘Fender Champ’, ‘Texas Trios’ and the down and dirty ‘Ain’t Got The Scratch’. Matched to perfection by Wayne Six on bass and Mike Gage on drums, the easy, natural guitar style of Buddy Whittington is a thing of rare beauty and power - presented in a manner where it’s not the lick, but the song that is king.
Don’t be fooled though, as this is one ‘Six String Svengali’ who is a match for the best of them. ---Steven Reid, rocktopia.co.uk
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