Bound By the Blues [CD]

Sonny Landreth’s new album Bound by the Blues marks a return to the slide guitarist’s musical roots. It presents a bold, big-sounding collection of recordings that climb to stratospheric heights of jazz informed improvisation, the best of classic rock, and inevitably remain deeply attached to the elemental emotional and compositional structures that are at the blues’ historic core. Bound by the Blues is a powerful tribute to the durability and flexibility of the genre, and to his own creative vision. Sonny name-checks Jimi Hendrix, Muddy Waters and some of Landreth’s other musical heroes along the way. He also pays homage to fellow slide guitarist Johnny Winter, with the instrumental “Firebird Blues.” He recreates some amazing covers “Walkin’ Blues” by Robert Johnson, and “Dust my Broom” by Elmore James. Landreth continues to develop his vision and his musical voice, growing increasingly original and distinctively diverse sounds expanding from blues, zydeco, folk, country and jazz, making Bound by the Blues one of his most ambitious albums to date.