U.P. Wilson
Booting
JSP 1999
Review Published June 1, 1999
Artist Bio at RadioFreeTEXAS
AMG Artist Bio/Discography/CD Reviews
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Track Listing
- Made Up My Mind
- Texas Squaling
- You Say You Love Me
- Let Her Go
- I Believe
- Crazy Things
- Rock Me
- Chunky
- Hold On Woman
- Booting
EB Rating - 4.5
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From the very first riffs of Booting, the sound of U.P. Wilson's
guitar is unavoidable. His rhythmic playing style is energetic, unique, and very infectious. The overall mood of this CD is very upbeat,
with a couple of slow burners mixed in to break things up a bit. For most cuts, the band consists simply of guitar, bass
and drums. Three cuts feature the addition of harmonica.
I'm fairly new to the term "Urban Blues", and somewhat uncertain about its exact definition.
But if I had to venture a guess, I'd say U.P. is definitive of that style of play. The sound of his guitar is
aggressive & raunchy, yet simple and straight forward. I doubt there's much in the way of add-on's here, just
guitar & amp. His vocal style is basic blues as well, and although he occasionally falls off key, the vast
majority of the time he's right on. His vocal style is an excellent match for his style of play and song selection.
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A word of caution to those who have come to know me for the blues-rock guitar glutton I
am. This is not blues-rock, but pure blues. The lead is not timid by any means, but neither is it
the main feature. It is, however, definitely electric. Pronounced rhythm riffs are the focus, and
keep this CD in high gear most of the time.
It's difficult to pick out my favorites on this one. There are only one or two cuts that don't
keep pace with the overall package. This CD is very consistant without seeming boring or repetitive,
a combination very difficult to achieve, and one I have come to admire.
Along with Smokey Wilson(not related), U.P. Wilson
could be classified as one of the missing links between traditional electric blues and contemporary rock-blues (with a hard lean
towards traditional), and I believe many patrons from both camps will enjoy this CD.
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