Jimmie Vaughan
Album: Strange Pleasure/Out There/Do You Get The Blues
Label: Repertoire
Tracks: 11+10+11
Website: http://www.jimmievaughan.com

There was a time when Jimmie Vaughan was principally known for two things. Firstly, as Stevie Ray Vaughan's older brother and, secondly, as lead guitarist with The Fabulous Thunderbirds [from the late 1970's through to 1990].

Jimmie's best-known recording was almost certainly "Family Style", which he recorded with Stevie shortly before the latter's tragic death in a helicopter accident in 1990.

Following Stevie's death, there was a hiatus in Jimmie's recording career but now is the time to re-evaluate his solo work, with the re-issue, on Repertoire Records, of his first three solo albums, "Strange Pleasure" [1994]; "Out There"[1998] and "Do You Get The Blues ?" [2001].

The debut solo album is, unsurprisingly, dedicated to brother Stevie and also to Albert Collins [who died in 1993]. The producer of "Strange Pleasure" is legendary Chic guitarist and producer, Nile Rodgers. Rodgers had produced "Family Style", so, no doubt, Jimmie felt comfortable working with him again on his solo album, which was recorded in New York. As well as Nile Rodgers and Fonzi Thornton from Chic, the album also features Dr.John and Jimmie's long time vocal partner Lou Ann Barton.

Jimmie Vaughan has a very distinctive style of playing his Fender Stratocaster. His sound is very "clean" due to the fact that he plays with his fingers rather than a pick and he plugs the guitar straight into the amp, without the use of effects. This gives his playing an authentic "vintage" blues sound. This authenticity is reinforced by the fact that the basic format employed on all three of these solo albums is that of Jimmie's guitar, keyboard [mainly Hammond B3] and drums, without the use of bass guitar. The bass parts are, in the main, provided by the keyboards, as was common in jazz in the 1950's and 1960's. The core trio is made up of Jimmie, Bill Willis [Hammond B3] and George Rains on drums.

Perhaps the most significant track on the album is "Six Strings Down" which was written by Jimmie and the Neville Brothers and which refers to the death of Stevie and other great guitarists who have passed away, including Jimi Hendrix, Albert Collins, Muddy Waters and others. The song is performed as an acoustic blues by Jimmie [with some stirring background vocals] and contains the haunting refrain "Heaven Done Called Another Blues Stringer Back Home".

"Strange Pleasure" marked Jimmie's emergence from the shadow of his brother's death as a solo artist and a major player in his own right, indeed, the album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Blues Album.

Jimmie's sophomore solo release was 1998's "Out There". This album was again dedicated to a recently deceased colleague, this time it was Keith Ferguson, bass player with The Fabulous Thunderbirds. The opening track "Like A King" is evidently a hold over from previous sessions, as it was written and produced by Nile Rodgers. Dr.John also reappears on this album as co-writer [with Jimmie] of "Lost In You" and plays piano and vibes on "Astral Projection Blues".

Again, Jimmie's distinctive guitar style resonates throughout this album. Although he is primarily known work his guitar work, Jimmie is in fine vocal form on this album, sounding particularly soulful on the title track " Out There".

The third album in this trilogy is 2001' s "Do You Get The Blues?".Unfortunately, this album's release also has tragic connections. The release date was that ill-fated day September 11th 2001 and it is not surprising that it was overshadowed by the terrible events of that day.

It is, however, another fine album and it won the Best Traditional Blues Album Award for 2002. The standout track is "Power Of Love", which is duet between Jimmie and Lou Ann Barton, who provides some stunning vocals.

Since making this album, Jimmie has gone from strength to strength. He has toured extensively as support to Bob Dylan [at the great man's specific request ] and has released two highly successful albums of covers of blues classics ["Plays Blues, Ballads And Favourites"[2010] and "Plays More Blues, Ballads And Favourites featuring Lou Ann Barton"[2011]].

As is customary with releases by Repertoire, these albums are beautifully packaged, with extensive liner notes [by Michael Heatley]. Highly recommended.

Peter Cowley