Nobody's Home: A Diverse And Musical Guitar Showcase
07/28/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"For starters, let me just say that I'm really turned off by most so-called "guitar virtuoso's" because they usually lack the musical talent and inspiration needed to make their music(?) rise above repetitive riffs and showiness. Duke Levine, on the other hand, plays guitar in a fresh, heart-felt, deeply musical, harmonically inventive and melodically rich way that compliments whatever the song calls for. There's always a feeling of soulful integrity, stylistic authenticity and inspiration to his playing, whether it's on the full tilt barnyard tussle "Shacklehands", the bumping down the road beat of "When I Go Walkin'", the Hawaiian slide lament "King Kamehameha Blues" or the sinuous country bop twistings of "Swamp Thing". You've probably heard many of these sounds somewhere before, but never put together as well as this. Duke's songwriting is as melodic, interesting and well-conceived as his guitar playing ...and that says a lot. This album demonstrates how the guitar should be played. It's real, multi-dimensional music, not just a bunch of uninspired chordal formulas serving as vehicles for hot licks. Unfortunately, the brief sound samples here can't do the songs justice. Get the album, it's worth it."