*** Joe Louis Walker

SILVERTONE BLUES

(Blue Thumb)

"Don't need no more than a guitar and a harp," sings bluesman Joe Louis Walker on Silvertone Blues. And he's one artist who definitely practices what he preaches. Walker can be something of a blues renaissance man, a guitarist/singer/producer who isn't afraid to push past the boundaries of blues into gospel and rock, creating amalgams driven by his brittle guitar work and heartfelt shout. On last year's Guitar Greats, he faced off with a heady roster of guests, including Buddy Guy, Taj Mahal, Bonnie Raitt, and Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown.

But here Walker strips his music down to the acoustic heart of the country blues, striking gold with dazzling guitar and slide work, stirring vocals, and cameos by just a few well-chosen friends. Harmonica giant James Cotton, young guitar maven Alvin "Youngblood" Hart, and pianist Kenny Wayne -- who has an excellent album of his own out on the tiny Real Blues label -- are just about all he needs to launch this batch of original variations on familiar blues themes. It's the veteran Walker's most basic -- and maybe his best -- release in quite some time.

-- Bill Kisliuk