Doyle Bramhall II has a pretty good pedigree. His dad played and hung out with the Vaughan brothers in Texas. Doyle II started his career playing with Jimmie’s Fabulous Thunderbirds, then formed Arc Angles with the Double Trouble rhythm section and Charles Sexton, and issued a solo release in ’92.

This album is a perfect mix of modern rock sounds and classic soul and blues. Bramhall’s guitar and vocals mix perfectly and it’s one of my favorite rock albums of the year.

I won’t break it down by cut because each has something to offer. His guitar sound goes from drones to loud, bluesy solos, to Hendrixian-style soloing, to classic soul-style double-stops. The changes are nice, too. Nothing predictable and nothing boring. Part of the sound may be the result of having Tchad Blake as producer. He has worked magic with great musicians, and this is no different.

There are great support musicians here, too. Folks like Charlie Drayton, Mitch Froom, Wendy Mevoin, and Charlie Sexton. The songs almost all have killer hooks and Doyle’s singing and playing shine. If you feel rock and roll has lost some of its magic, check this one out. There won’t be any “hits” here, because of the state of radio, but there certainly should be.