We the People

Guitar Shorty | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 15, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Alligator Records
• ASIN: B000GUJEVK
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #61,053 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

"I've been to hell and back, I'm still looking good / I've found the fountain of youth, I've got the blues in my blood," sings Guitar Shorty on "Blues in My Blood"--one of the more autobiographical tracks, albeit one he didn't write, on his second Alligator album in three years. After working for decades with little to show for it, Shorty makes up for lost time, charging through unapologetically tough blues rockers such as "Sonic Boom," "Can't Get Enough" (not the Bad Company tune), and "What Good Is Life?" with the rough-and-tumble enthusiasm of someone half his 67 years. There are few surprises here--Shorty's throaty voice pummels through these tunes, pausing only long enough to make room for his fat, fluid leads to slice into the powerhouse rhythm section. Subtlety is not Shorty's strong point, and even when he accompanies himself on "Cost of Livin'" with just guitar and a tapping foot, it sounds like he's a caged tiger before feeding time. The title track concerns the average laborer's tough life, but this is primarily a blues album tied to the usual subjects of nefarious women doing Shorty wrong. In fact, his ex's phone prefix in "I Got Your Number" is 666. But nobody need look for profound lyrical insights when Shorty slings his molten guitar, pouring his psychedelicized solos like lava over anything in his path. Just push play and get out of the way. --Hal Horowitz

Product Description

Credited with influencing both Jimi Hendrix and Buddy Guy, Shorty has been electrifying audiences for five decades with his supercharged live shows and his incendiary recordings. Through the years, Shorty has performed with blues and R&B luminaries like Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, B.B. King, Guitar Slim and T-Bone Walker. Although he had recorded a handful of singles for a variety of labels, it wasn’t until the 1990s that the wider world opened to one of the blues’ most exciting performers. His albums since then all received critical acclaim, and his legendary live performances have kept him constantly in demand all over the world. His 2004 Alligator debut, Watch Your Back, became the best received, best selling album of his career. With his new CD, We The People, he’s prepared to continue what he’s started, taking his music, and his fans, to deeper places and even greater heights.

Guitar Shorty delivers a moving and soulful statement with We The People, featuring some of the most fire-coated fretwork he has ever laid down and the most thought-provoking songs he’s ever recorded. He’s playing with a passion and dedication almost unmatched in today’s music scene. Always a celebrated live performer and now a top-selling recording artist as well, Guitar Shorty will no doubt find that We The People will once again make him the people’s choice.

Produced by Wyzard and Brian Brinkerhoff, We The People finds Guitar Shorty singing and playing with ferocious urgency and a fierce righteousness. We The People burns with heavy rock and roll fire from start to finish, putting Shorty’s infectious energy and guitar pyrotechnics on full display. And more than ever before, his songs tell the story of the harsh realities of everyday life in terms both stark ("We The People"), pointed ("Cost Of Livin’") and poignant ("Down That Road Again"). What he began with Watch Your Back, Shorty accelerates with We The People, creating an album that is as memorable for its menacing guitar work and defiant vocals as it is for its incisive and wide-ranging stories.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shorty Stands Tall Among Blues Guitar Gunslingers, August 18, 2006

By 

Blue Oak "C Oakley" (Winfield, IL. United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: We the People (Audio CD)

I stumbled upon Guitar Shorty's previous release 'Watch Your Back' and I have been hooked on him ever since. Couldn't wait to get my hands on his new CD 'We the People' and a 1st listen confirmed my urgency. If you like testosterone drenched blues guitar, this recording won't disappoint. The cuts are raw, the musicianship stellar and the lyrics are contemporary to the difficult times we find oursleves in. I saw him lives at Buddy Guy's club in Chicago this past April and was blown away by Shorty's Guitar playing and the talent of his band mates. An interesting note on Guitary Shorty, he helped school Jimmy Hendrix in his early days. This CD won't disappoint, you'll get more than your money's worth.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Guitar Shorty plays real deal blues/rock, June 1, 2008

By 

Tim Holek - See all my reviews

This review is from: We the People (Audio CD)

You've heard the term real deal blues. Well, Guitar Shorty plays real deal blues/rock. The vast population likely does not know that Shorty represents them as a crusading spokesman, who sports a mean six-string. His tough style of music has been created and copied in the past. However, he presents it in a way that makes it feel new. All 12 songs are mostly upbeat and fast. Each seem to reflect something that's pent up deep inside him. However, Shorty will surely capture many rockers into the blues flock with this disc.

We The People does not contain the same old blues. It is loaded with rock edged music. The title track's catchy hook and wah wah splashes will generate ecstasy for baby boomers and Generation X'ers alike. Both will enjoy the song and performer's attitude, anger, and aggression. On Runaway Train, Shorty smacks and jabs with his guitar's notes and chords. Down That Road Again is a radio-friendly rock boogie where the guitar's articulate rhythm elicits zeal. Throughout, Shorty's guitar is in-your-face while his limited vocals are punchy. Together they consistently plow through you like a runaway train. Guitar Shorty stands apart from all other blues/rockers because he adds depth and meaning to his rebellious songs.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Like a racing-fueled chainsaw.., December 16, 2009

By 

wnw (Grosse Pointe Woods, MI USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: We the People (Audio CD)

This album screams. Loaded with energy, superb guitar playing and spot-on vocals. Guitar Shorty only gets better with each recording. Turn it up loud.