Dave Thompson - Little Dave and Big Love (CD)

All Music Guide

Robert Palmer's notes declaring Dave Thompson a "thoroughly original" bluesman "without a veneer of irony or posturing" sound downright ludicrous after actually listening to the music. While he insists that Thompson's songs are "[not] stylistically indebted to any obvious influence," one can clearly hear echoes of Stevie Ray Vaughan, especially on "Instrumental 7" and "You Took My Baby." Most of the tracks (save the funky "Standing up on My Own") are conventional bar-blues jams, and as such are merely vehicles for Thompson's lead guitar work, which is by far the most enjoyable aspect of the album. Using a quarter as a pick, he produces a lockjaw tone that screams, cries, and slugs with the best of them, making one long for the days when a guitarist of his caliber recognized their limitations and opted to back up a gifted bandleader, instead of wasting their time with boring musicians, writing boring songs, and stifling their own success.

- Jim Smith, All Music Guide