Customer Reviews

Going Up

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I was fortunate enough to see Steve Marriner on-tour with Harry Manx at the King's Theatre in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, in the Summer of 2006. As great as Harry Manx was, Steve Marriner totally stole the show, conjuring up the spirits (and tones) of Sonny Boy Williamson during the first half of the show, and Little Walter during the second-half.

Marriner's new album, "Going Up," is a powerful blues tour-de-force, and should be nominated for the best blues album of the year. The production-values are consistently good throughout, the compositions and arrangements are excellent, and Steve's vocals are very good. But the real treat here is Steve's harp playing: he captures the early '60s reverb-and-overdriven tone of Little Walter to a tee. The guitar playing on this album is very strong as well, with fine performances by Garrett Mason and Sue Foley.

As a blues guitarist thoroughly schooled in the styles of Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters, I recognize in Steve Marriner a PhD-level student of the Chicago Blues genre.

In sum, a remarkable album by a remarkable talent. I can unreservedly recommend this album for electric blues fans.