CD Review – Shawn Pittman (Basic Blues)
Edge of the World
Delta Groove Records
Shawn Pittman has been recording blues albums for over 15 years and on his first Delta Groove release, Pittman takes the reins on almost every aspect. Usually when an artist goes independent that’s when they say they are “free” to do whatever they want on the record. Pittman does just the opposite. He wrote or co-wrote all but one track, played every instrument except the horns and saxophones, recorded, engineered, co-produced and co-mixed the entire album. The tirelessness shows as this is one of the strongest blues releases of the year. The opener “Sugar (Where’d You Get Your Sugar From)” introduces you to a solid and confident artist who knows exactly what he wants: One stellar blues record. He reminds me a lot of Jonny Lang with his confident guitar-slinging and sense that he could break into a shredding guitar solo at any second. Pittman is becoming a seasoned veteran and is definitely an artist that blues fans need to keep an eye on.
