An all instrumental blues guitar release by one of the most acclaimed guitarists of our time. With The Broadcasters, his band of over 20 years, Ronnie's latest release shows him to be one of the most soulful blues/soul/jazz guitarists working today. He plays with spellbinding intensity and soul and has a legion of fans that await each new release.

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Genre: Blues Music
Media Format: Compact Disk
Rating:
Release Date: 19-MAR-1996

Two-time WC Handy award winner Ronnie Earl is a versatile blues guitarist equally proficient in jazz, soul and rock. Born in Queens, New York in 1953, Earl learned guitar as an adult while attending college. Heart And Soul: The Best Of Ronnie Earl span Earl’s entire career including the 1983 album Smokin’ recorded with his band the Broadcasters, to his 2005 collaboration with Duke Robillard, The Duke Meets The Earl. Earl recorded for several labels during his career including Black Top, Telarc, Stony Plain, and Bullseye Blues & Jazz, all represented on this collection.

"I make this music in the hopes that I may touch your soul," says Ronnie Earl. "It is not fame that I seek or need." These words explain his low profile and encapsulate the vision of an emotionally driven musician. The statement’s truth rings out in every blistering guitar lick and solo on this predominantly instrumental release. As an authoritative axe slinger, Earl is less concerned with how many notes he plays than with the impact each holds. Like Mike Bloomfield (who he sounds eerily like on "Blues for Otis Rush") his style is lean, hungry, and fiery. Recorded live in the studio, Earl shifts from the traditional gospel of "Mary Don’t You Weep" (with guest vocalists the Silver Leaf Gospel Singers) to a sharp cover of Howlin' Wolf’s "Howlin' for My Darlin'." A mouth-watering unaccompanied showcase appropriately titled "Alone with the Blues" and the Peter Green-styled "Donna," where notes drip like mercury from his fingers, are also highlights. Tough yet expressive and always soulful, this is intensely moving blues from a gifted guitarist whose humility and sincerity are as affecting as his music. --Hal Horowitz