Over the years many people have asked, "Will the real please stand up?" Those are the people who wonder if the singer/guitarist is really a vocalist or a instrumentalist at heart. But truth be told, is many different things. He is genuinely eclectic, which is why one never really knows from one album to the next what direction he will take. , 's first album for , is primarily a vocal date. gets in his share of inspired guitar solos, and he provides one : the gutsy But most of the time he sings. And as a vocalist, he favors an exciting blend of , and on tracks like and Meanwhile, and the moody are among the CD's more -tinged vocal offerings. does not embrace a standard 12-bar format on all of the material, but then, he never claimed to be a purist. isn't a purist any more than he is a purist, a purist, or an purist -- he is much too restless and broad-minded to be any type of purist. That isn't good news if you only like one type of music, but it is very good news if you share 's eclectic outlook and have admired his diversity over the years. was in his late forties when he recorded in the early 2000s, and this pleasing CD is the work of a musician who is still very much on top of his game. ~ Alex Henderson