Electric Blues
Return to Review Index
Eric Sardinas
Treat Me Right
Evidence 1999
Visit the official Eric Sardinas website.
AMG Artist Bio/Discography/CD Reviews
Review Published Jan 16, 2000

Discography/Sound Clips
Track Listing
  1. Treat Me Right
  2. Write Me A Few Lines
  3. Murdering Blues
  4. Cherry Bomb
  5. My Baby's Got Something
  6. Give Me Love
  7. Rollin' and Tumblin'
  8. Low Down Love
  9. Get Along Rider
  10. Goin' to the River
  11. I Can't Be Satisfied
  12. Sweetwater Blues
  13. Down In The Bottom
  14. Tired Of Tryin'
EB Rating - 4.5

    Eric Sardinas is a slide blues guitarist/vocalist based in Los Angeles. He strictly a slide player and uses exclusively dobro guitars. Perhaps it's his dedication to this style and instrument that has permitted him to hone his skills to a fine edge. Eric's playing is wickedly slashing and relentless. Eric doesn't spend too much time on subtleties. It's pretty much rip and shred most of the time. Eric's vocal style is gruff & gritty with an almost arrogant attitude... a good match to his playing style.
    It's fair to compare Sardinas' playing and vocal style to that of Johnny Winter, and this is the first time I can remember being reminded of Winter's style by someone else's playing or singing. Eric's not a Winter clone, he definitely has his own distinctive sound, but there is an unmistakable similarity.
    Sardinas also has songwriting talent, and wrote half of the songs on the disc including the excellent title cut, Treat Me Right, and the equally excellent slow blues of "Low Down Love", which features Eric's trademark slide and vocals delivered with passion and conviction. Other songs written by Eric include the fast shuffle "Get Along Rider", the somewhat more relaxed "Goin' To The River", and the disc's only solo acoustic number, "Sweetwater Blues". Among the cover tunes, Eric's rendition of "Murdering Blues" is awesome, and it's easily my favorite song on the disc.
    By strange coincidence (not!), Johnny Winter makes a guest appearance on the final song. When I first learned this, I had visions of a no-holds-barred slide shoot-out. But they didn't go for that angle, opting instead to trade complementary licks on Johnny's relatively laid back "Tired of Trying". Not what I had fantasized, but enjoyable non the less.
    Anyone purchasing this CD had better be ready to crank. This is a hard-driving blues CD, meant to be played loud and straight through... you can relax when it's over.

Return to Review Index