Texas has a storied tradition of fantastic blues guitarists, and Mike Morgan has steadily grown as one of the keepers of that flame. This collection also reveals him to be a strong singer and songwriter.

Morgan co-produced the outing with fellow Dallas great Anson Funderburgh, who trades solos with him on Jerry “Boogie” McCain’s “Ding Dong Daddy.” Mike plays an ES-5 on that cut, hauls out his Epiphone Riviera on the Latin-tinged “Maybe,” and uses a ’57 Strat reissue for the rest. Elsewhere, six-stringers Shawn Pittman, Reo Casey, and Christian Dozzler add different shades of blue.

Morgan cites Magic Sam, B.B. and Freddie King, Luther Tucker, and Eddie Taylor as major influences, but he eschews reciting licks of the legends, offering his own take. He also isn’t hamstrung by 12-bar blues, handling soul on “Please Accept My Love,” funk on “Funkafacation,” and on “The Fracas By The Pecos,” a sort of south-of-the-border/desert soundtrack in search of a movie, complete with spoken narration.

It’s an ambitious, adventurous set – but Morgan and the Crawl pull it off.

This article originally appeared in VG’s November 2022 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.