Walter Trout and the Radicals

I think it's safe to that that Trout owns a Stevie Ray Vaughan CD or two; he plays the same swaggering, surging brand of hard rocking electric blues. Of course, he ain't no SRV. Sure, he's good and he and his three-piece band - drums, bass and keyboards - are passionate and committed, but he never equals Stevie's workaday average quality, let alone his truly inspired moments. OK, granted, that's pretty much an unreachable standard for a mere mortal. The Radicals are actually a better match for Trout than Double Trouble were for their boss -sometimes Stevie just outstripped them. Over the bakers dozen tracks, Trout and Co. kick it hard, leaving plenty of space for six-string heroics. Make no mistake, Trout can play; he's fiery and has a gratifyingly hard tone. You won't do much better when it comes to guitar-centric electric blues-rock, unless you happen to slip in some SRV, of course.