Southern Son
Self-Released, 2020
8/10
An esteemed blues guitarist who takes inspiration from legends like Jimi Hendrix, Kenny Wayne Shepard, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Jimmy Page, Pennsylvania’s Jeff Fetterman sure has a knack for rock’n’roll, and his traces of funk and Motown help make this 3rd album his best to date.
Fetterman leads with the percussively strong and bright horns of “I Don’t Want To”, as his rugged vocals lead us through sturdy blues rock, and this formula continues to the soulful and melodic “49/61”, which recruits strategic horns, as well as calm balladry of the Springsteen-ish “Memphis Sky”.
Later in the disc, “Feels Like Rain” is a fluid rocker with loud drumming and no shortage of melody, while “Tell Me Baby” finds all sorts of grooves to reside in. “All Along The Watchtower”, the lone cover, and the last tune on the formal album, then builds into a rootsy adventure where guitar solos and a dynamic rhythm section highlight the fun.
A pair of instrumental bonus tracks are included, “Voodoo Funk”, and “Southside Blues”, where the former certainly gets funky with plenty of spacey noises, too, and the latter burns slow, with a healthy amount of organ amid the spirited guitar.
Fetterman has an impressive set of players with him on this outing, including Eric Brewer (rhythm/lead guitar), Ralph Reintinger III (bass), John McGuire (drums) and Christoff ‘Kid’ Andersen (Hammond, Wurlitzer, electric piano, percussion), who also produced the affair. Toss in a horn section and throw Fetterman’s guitar and pipes on top and you’ve got an impressive display of contemporary blues.
Travels well with: Shawn Pittman- Make It Right!; Albert Castiglia- Wild And Free