Johnny Guitar Watson - Bow Wow (CD)

Master of the blues guitar...

By jl  Sep 21, 2001

One of modern blues most underrated artists, Johnny 'Guitar' Watson never shied away from moving with the times musically. Although his later efforts were met with varying degrees of commercial success, he always managed to keep his feet firmly plant...ed in his blues roots. This album finds his cleverness and versatility intact, and for the most part, back to basics. Few artists could credibly combine a spare, traditional blues arrangement with a synthesized lament about a crack-smoking woman ("Doing Wrong Woman") and make it work, but with Watson it does, and to beautiful effect. "Bow Wow" and "I Don't Think So" are lighthearted, quirky fun, set to a solid bass. A couple of the cuts fall short, though. "My Funk" was an unabashed attempt to carve a niche of the market over which the Gap Band held court in the '80s, and "It Takes 2" borders on maudlin. JGW is at his best when he's keeping it real, and overall, this album is a winner. Read more Less