Giving the blues a Caribbean twist

by Jim Trageser
This review first appeared in the Fall 1993 edition of Blues Revue Quarterly magazine (now Blues Revue).

Caribbean rocker Jimmy Buffett's longtime harp player, Fingers Taylor, turns in a straight-ahead set of electric blues on this solo outing, joined by ace guitarist Anson Funderburgh.

As a harmonica player, Taylor has a deep, throaty sound that is well-suited to the blues. As a singer, well, his voice bears more than a passing resemblance to Buffett's nasal tenor, which isn't at all bad. Stylistically, he also sings much like Buffett might if he were a blues singer.

Taylor is apparently no composer; all the songs here are covers. Although few are well-known, all are strong. Not all are necessarily blues compositions, either, but Taylor's arrangements make each into a blues piece.

The music is bar-room blues: aggressive and energetic. The band is tight and everyone gets plenty of solos, including Funderburgh, who turns in several gems.

The combination of Taylor's Buffett-influenced vocals and the generally festive mood throughout makes this release a spiritual meeting ground between the blues and Buffett's so-called parrot music – Caribbean blues, perhaps?