A fresh sound from Down Under

by Jim Trageser
This review first appeared in the July 31, 1992 issue of the North County Blade-Citizen (now North County Times).

Aussie Dave Hole may be the next stateside guitar hero. With a bigger-than-life approach to guitar playing, and an arena-sized presence, Hole's electrifying fretwork is reminiscent of past blues-based guitar heroes such as Stevie Ray Vaughan and Robin Trower.

His U.S. debut, "Short Fuse Blues" on Alligator Records, is one of the freshest hard rock albums in some time. Most of the songs are originals, all of which will grab your attention both with his adrenalin-enriched playing and the straight-ahead melodicism of the compositions themselves.

Of special note are incredible covers of Fleetwood Mac founder Peter Green's "Albatross," Elmore James' "The Sun is Shining" and Jimi Hendrix' "Purple Haze." All three covers work because Hole has confidence and talent enough to deviate from the standard versions to create his own magic.

While Hole isn't really a blue artist, fans of blues guitar are likely to enjoy his frenetic playing.