No, Rip Van Winkle isn't alive and well in the person of guitarist
Stan West; and don't let the slide guitar expert's long beard and
"mountain man-like" appearance fool you. He's a rather astute observer
of that four-letter word called life, as he conveys so well on "My Blues".
West - who lists "God, Muddy Waters, and John Coltrane" as his
inspirations - also pays tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan ("So Sad, So
Sad") and laments the Johnny-Come-Latelys that have infiltrated his
beloved Blues ("Overnight Bluesman"). If you're looking for the real
deal, invest your time (and around ten bucks) in Mr. West.
-Doug Deutsch
(Happening)
Stan West
My Blues
(Res-o-nator Records) Stan West knows the blues. That's the first
thing obvious when you hear this CD. The second is that Stan knows guitar
sounds. Some of the tones on this CD are so sweet they almost made me
melt into a puddle. I feel happy if I can get some of these sounds once a
year on stage, let alone throughout an entire album recorded live, in one
take.
Things get hoppin' right away with the jump-boogie "Get Outta Dodge"
(…in my Chevrolet). A great solo by guitarist Jeff Ross, a nasty harp solo
by Jeff "Dutch" Masters, and a blistering slide solo by Stan propel this
clever tune and gets the joint jumpin'.
The guitar work throughout the entire album is masterful. Whether it's
killer slide kicking off "Blue Heart Disease", some nice slow Blues from
Jeff Ross in "Crazy, Crazy, Crazy", or gorgeous Delta-style bottleneck
on the tribute to Robert Johnson "Delta King". The whole band is in fine
form. Stan covers the slide work (and it's always excellent), plus plays
National Hawaiian on the two Delta-style numbers. Jeff Ross plays lead
and a National Style "O" guitar on the acoustic numbers. There are
numerous fine harp solos by the aforementioned Mr. Masters, while the
rhythm section of Dave Childers on guitar, Mike "Rocko" Occhiato on bass,
and Mike Sessa on drums keep things moving the way they should be.
Some other highlights include "Medfly Blues", which is a nice loud
shuffle with fine solos all around and a punched turnaround that avoids
all the familiar Blues clichés. The very sarcastic "Overnight Bluesman"
takes a stab at the players who suddenly become Bluesmen when it looks like
they might be able to make some money. It's pretty funny, with a punchline
during the last verse which I can't repeat here. It also features a nice
slide solo from West.
There's other stuff worth hearing here, including a tribute to Stevie
Ray Vaughan called "So Sad, So Sad", and a plea for a stop to gang
violence, "Bullet Hole". Through it all, Stan's vocals really shine along
with the fine work from the band.
All in all, this is a fine CD. Most certainly the real deal.
-John Heidt
(VINTAGE GUITAR magazine)
Stan West recorded his 10 tunes all live first take in a studio in West Covina, California. he's a slide guitarist, and plays two of the tunes acoustic along with guitar player Jeff Ross and harmonica player Jeff "Dutch" Masters. "Get Outta Dodge (in my Chevrolet)" was a refreshing jump into boogie gear after the Kimbrough disc. Features yet another tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughn "So Sad, So Sad (for Stevie Ray)". These guys do play a mean boogie shuffle, and though Stan says "I Can't Take It No More", I can take some more. "Delta King" is about Robert Johnson and "Overnight Bluesman" is about some of the rockers converting now that Stevie Ray and Robert Cray have made it popular to play the blues. "Bullet Hole" is a lament about all the non-combatants caught in the crossfire these days in our cities. Some really fine slide playing, closing with "Big Bone" and some really fat tone.
STAN WEST
"My Blues"
Resonator Records 01CD
Get Outta Dodge/Blue Heart Disease/
So Sad, So Sad (For Stevie Ray)/ I
Just Can't Take It No More/ Delta
King/ Medfly Blues/ Overnight
Bluesman/Crazy, Crazy, Crazy/Bullet
Hole/ "Big Bone" (for Mr. Norris).
(57:21)
Stan West is apparently something of an institution
on the Southern Californian blues scene, having
been delighting the patrons of the area's blues
clubs with his potent slide guitar riffs for around
thirty years as well as opening for artists like Bo
Diddley, Johnny Winter and Robben Ford, running
his own guitar shop in Glendora and now releasing
his first CD on his own Resonator Records label.
"My Blues" is an apt title for the CD on which he
pays tribute to the artists and styles that have
influenced him over three decades and it reminds
me of one of those 'lucky bags' you used to buy
from the old corner shop, when you'd pay your
sixpence and dip your hand in expectantly, never
knowing what you were going to pull out; and so
it is with this CD, each track displaying a different
facet of the blues, with Stan's slide guitar being the
only common factor. The CD opens with "Get
Outta Dodge", a real Texas styled rocker,(despite
Dodge being in Kansas), with plenty of hot slide
and infectious harp courtesy of "Dutch" Masters
and finishes with "Big Bone", a tribute to Bay
harmonica virtuoso Patrick 'Big Bones' Norris,
which sounds more like an Elmore James tribute
with really wild slide on a number that reminds me
of "Elmore's Contribution To Jazz". In between
we get two acoustic numbers. "Delta King",
dedicated to Robert Johnson and the topical drugs
song "Bullet Hole", both of which contain some
wonderful bottleneck from Jeff Ross on his National
Style "O" guitar, chilling slide from Stan West on
his National Hawaiian, and lovely acoustic harp
from the talented Mr. Masters. "Overnight
Bluesman" is an Elvin Bishop styled rocker, while
"Medfly Blues" is a hot boogie slide showcase. But
the two highlights are the slow, intense "So Sad,
So Sad" a tribute to SRV that exudes real sorrow
and "Crazy, Crazy, Crazy", a great T-Bone inspired
blues on which Jeff Ross demonstrates his mastery
of "Bones'" style and the harp player once again
delights us with suitably sympathetic
accompaniment.
If you are a guitar freak who enjoys confounding
his friends with CD's by obscure American blues
guitarists, then this one's for you; a real "slide-o-
maniacs" treasure trove.
-Mick Rainsford
(Blues & Rhythm - The Gospel Truth)