SCOTT HENDERSON Feat. THELMA HOUSTON - TORE DOWN HOUSE 1997

Tore Down House was Scott Henderson's second blues release, and he expands on the musical territory first explored on Dog Party. Henderson brings his harmonically sophisticated approach to bear on a variety of blues-based compositions. Tore Down House opens with hard-hitting funk of Dolomite, which conjures visions of 70's blaxploitation movies. The title track is a colossal blues, melding jazz-level harmonic imagination, Hendrixian scorch, and Thelma Houston's soaring vocals. Meter Maid features a Bo Diddley beat married to crunching guitars. I Hate You starts out as a hilarious parody of 50's love songs, syrupy chord changes and all, before Henderson's metallic solo takes the song into another dimension. Gittar School is an Stevie Ray Vaughn-styled vehicle with silly-but-funny lyrics. Xanax is one of the highlights, pairing Henderson's raw, no-holds-barred guitar with Thelma Houston's intense vocals. Continuum provides a respite before the hard blues-rock assault of You Get Off On Me, the heavy-hitting slow blues Mocha, and the jackhammer funk of Harpoon. The nonsensical lyrics on Tore Down House will be a turnoff to blues purists, but I kind of admire the fact that Henderson didn't try to write typical blues lyrics. The more compelling thing about Tore Down House is Henderson's expansion and re-imagination of blues-rock guitar. A stellar effort. Review by Thelonious

Tracks :

1.Dolemite
2.Tore Down House
3.Metermaid
4.I Hate You
5.Gittar School
6.Xanax
7.Continuum
8.You Get off on Me
9.Mocha
10.Harpoon
11.Same as You