Smokin' Joe Kubek & Bnois King - Show Me The Money (CD)

All Music Guide

Smokin' Joe Kubek and Bnois King's albums are dependable affairs that stick close to good old barroom Texas blues. The lyrics won't win any Pulitzer Prizes, and while Kubek is an amazing guitar player with a huge tone, he isn't exactly reinventing the instrument, and likewise King, although he is a distinctive and pleasant vocalist, isn't going to be mistaken for Marvin Gaye anytime soon. Not much has changed on their second release on the Blind Pig label, and Show Me the Money delivers another dose of straightahead roadhouse blues. If there are any concessions here, it is that all the songs pull in at a radiofriendly length, and at least one, the infectious "My Heart's in Texas," would fit effortlessly on "new country" play lists. The first two tracks, "I Saw It Coming" and "Burnin' to the Ground," pretty much lead the charge here, and King's easy, subtle singing pairs nicely with Kubek's gutbucket guitar tone, but there are no real surprises waiting in the grass, and certainly nothin...g that will shake the roots of the music industry just solid bluesrock. Somebody's gotta do it, and Kubek and King do it so well. - Steve Leggett, All Music Guide Read more Less