LIVE -- HIGHWAYMAN, the long-awaited live album his fans have been demanding for years. The CD is overflowing with over 77 minutes of music, making this the longest single release in Alligator’s catalog. Ellis recorded two nights of performances at Chord On Blues in St. Charles, IL, a suburb of Chicago, on March 25 and 26, 2005. The CD is an Ellis fan’s dream-come-true, because as great as he is in the studio, it’s the stage where Ellis really fires it up. At the recording, he burned hotter than ever, taking his band and his audience to spine-chilling heights. Ellis’ original songs, extended soloing and heartfelt singing brought his audience to its feet early and kept them shouting and dancing all night long.

Tinsley Ellis has earned a reputation for heavy blues-rock guitar since he quit Atlanta's Heartfixers in 1987. Often it's been a little too heavy, ignoring the dynamic nuances that bring out the emotional nature of the blues. But Ellis's first album for Telarc lightens up just enough, so the sweet-and-high six-string intro to "Stuck in Love" enhances the song's guitar melody and the tenderness of his lyrics. He aims for a softer, thinner tone on "Real Bad Way" and turns "Feel No Pain" into a slow, soulful essay in guitar anxiety, full of telling fills, bends, and solo breaks. He also plays some acoustic numbers that allow the butter-and-black-pepper tones of his Southern-accented voice to emerge. Not that Ellis is playing things too cool; there's still plenty of guitar fire all over this record. It's just that he's learned to control the burning. --Ted Drozdowski