Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent, highly listenable band, August 20, 2004
I had the pleasure of seeing Anson and the Rockets perform at Chord On Blues while visiting friends in the far suburbs of Chicago a few weeks ago. We had just wanted to hear some live music, and didn't even know what band was going to be playing. I did some research on these guys and found out that they've played St. Louis numerous times over the past year and a half. After hearing them live and immediately thereafter purchasing this CD, I'm definitely a fan. They had both a great stage presence AND a great sound. I'm honestly surprised that these guys aren't a better known name.
My knowledge of blues is pretty limited, but Anson and his band are extremely listenable and accessible, but seem to be the real thing- authentic Texas blues reminiscent of Stevie Ray Vaughn but with added credibility by having Sam Myers on vocals and harmonica. While none of the lyrics stand out to me, the music and the singing both sound incredible to me. The sound on the CD is punched up a few notches form the live performance with the addition of a small horn section. As they in concert, the keyboards are a major highlight of the music for me, both with pinao and a Hammond B3. While Sam appears to be the consummate bluesman here, Anson Funderburgh does vocals on two songs, and displays strength with a more modern sound to his singing.
I've since ordered several older titles from this band, and as I said, look forward to seeing them in concert again. This album is highly listenable, deeply soulful and has sparked my interest in pursuing other contemporary blues bands. Learn from my mistakes, and don't let the fact that a name is unknown deter you from exploring some of the best music you'll ever likely hear.
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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Rocket Powered Blues from the Lonestar State, August 11, 2003
What a great record! Everything about this recording wreaks of the stuff of a Grammy and W.C. Handy award. Anson Funderburgh is one heck of a guitarist and his licks power most every song on this album. AF is complemented by a bunch of talented musicians and legendary harpist/voclaist Sam Meyers from the Howling Wolf era. The Rockets ignite from the get go keep it up for 13 tracks. There is not a dog song on this recording and if you like contemporary blues at their best, this recording won't disappoint. Happy listening!!
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not their best, June 24, 2005
Anson Funderburgh has done some of the tastiest blues guitar playing ever recorded, and the harp playing and singing of Sam Myers make this band a classic. It is no wonder that they have been around for so long and have won so many awards. Although "Which Way Is Texas" is decent, I just don't think it's their best effort. The one thing I most admire about this band is Anson's guitar playing, and there isn't enough of it here to satisfy me. The songwriting isn't as witty, and, on the whole, this CD is a little bland compared to their other recordings. This is also Anson's first attempt at singing, as far as I can remember, and it's quite a rude shock after hearing the deep mellow voice of Sam Myers for so long. If you are looking for blues that is as clever and tasteful as it is down and dirty, Anson And The Rockets haven't done anything to top "Sins". Their first two albums before Sam Myers joined, "Talk To You By Hand" and "She Knocks Me Out" are also pretty darn good.
There's another thing that I should mention. Although I understand and agree with the spirit in which comparisons of Anson Funderburgh to Stevie Ray Vaughan are made, they are a bit misleading. They are both outstanding blues musicians, but since it is, after all, the guitar playing that is the centerpiece of most blues, it's only fair to point out that these two have very different styles. Stevie Ray had a fat tone that I have often heard referred-to as "wall of sound", which puts him closer to someone like Johnny Lang or Billy Gibbons than to Anson. Anson has a reedy, vintage 50's-style tone, that is much cleaner. Their choice of material is also different. Anson is closer to the blues tradition of the '50s and '60s, more like music you'd hear in a honkytonk or a biker bar, whereas Stevie Ray leaned more toward the Hendrix-style rock end of things. Anyone who bought an Anson Funderburgh record thinking only that he was going to be listening to another Stevie Ray would likely be disappointed.
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