R2

First there was Bruce Willis. Then there was Steven 'I'm just the cook' Seagal and now there is Jim Byrnes. You just can't move these days for actors singing the blues. Before you all run to the hills, it should be pointed out that Byrnes is the real deal and this is anything but a Hollywood vanity project. He has been releasing records since the 1980's and this CD bears the mark of a man who knows this music inside out. His gravelly voice and his guitar playing are the things that smoked-filled late nights are made of in that sense, he's not a million miles away from the likes of J.J. Cale. There's a nice, back-porch vibe to proceedings with a mixture of original tunes and covers by Jimmy Reed, Lowell Fulson and Robert Johnson amongst others. While it hardly breaks new ground, Byrnes is an engaging host for this charming blues party.