Jimmie Vaughan – Plays Blues, Ballads & Favorites (Shout Factory) – CD review –

Jimmie Vaughan has recorded sporadically since he left the Fabulous Thunderbirds two decades ago; Plays Blues, Ballads & Favorites is only his fourth solo album, and his first since 2001.  Vaughan has assembled a collection of his favorite tunes, and recorded them in a loose, live-in-the-studio environment.

It truly sounds like someone held up a single microphone in front of the band and they went to work.  Most of the album moves along at a pleasant simmer, never really cooking hot, but always bringing some heat.  Sax, trumpet, organ and harmonica mix in with the usual instruments to keep things interesting. The best tracks feature vocalist Lou Ann Barton dueting with Vaughan on songs like “I Miss You So.”  Vaughan’s guitar playing is relaxed, with his signature clean tone still intact.  Most of his solos aren’t flashy, but that’s the point; Vaughan is strolling down memory lane and we’ve been lucky enough to come along. –Tony Peters