| DownBeat June 2003 Scott Henderson Well to the Bone (Blues Bureau International 2045, 64:54) *** The Tribal Tech guitar electrician shows how to produce direct current for blues-rock without short-circuiting with mindless excess. His individual touch, his harmonic knowledge and his improvisational freedom stand him in good stead. So does the imagination-galvanizing "Sultan's Boogie," the high point where his modern electrification of Delta rumbles incite rapturous dervish dance. Guest vocalist Thelma Houston has natural magnetism, put power outages occur whenever Wade Durham sings. -- Frank-John Hadley Ordering info: www.shrapnelrecords.com ====================================== PASADENA WEEKLY May 22, 2003 Scott Henderson Well to the Bone (Shrapnel) So many styles are incorporated into this under-the-radar 2002 release, from heavy blues-rock and Hendrix-style guitar to lightning-fast chicken pickin' and even a touch of prog-rock, that you could swear the stereo changer was switching discs. Esteemed GIT grad/teacher Henderson -- an alum of Chick Corea, Joe Zawinul, and Jean-Luc Ponty's bands -- works weird change-ups, unexpected time signatures and key shifts, as well as guest vocals by '70s disco queen Thelma Houston, into one funky blues-fusion stew. It may be too esoteric for fans of straightforward 12-bar blues-rock, but for those with a taste for serious guitar wankery it's well worth seeking out. -- Bliss |