Search - Ernest Ranglin :: Grooving

Drum machines and synths

Bassman Ryan | Charlottesville, VA United States | 04/23/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Ernest Ranglin is in my mind the best guitarist in the world since Django Reihardt. His tone, feel, and ability to "sing" through his guitar are amazing. I love his hard to find LP's of the seventies, and his recent work with the Island/Palm label have been outstanding--each one a collaboration with excellent musicians from all over the world. "Grooving" does not follow in this vein, it sounds like some of his eighties output (True Blue, We Want to Party) and the 1999 Tribute to a Lengend (music of bob marley and the wailers). This means programmed drum tracks, lots of lame synthesiers, and serious overproduction. There is no live, interactive feel like the previously mentioned albums. All of this aside, Earnest still completely tears every track up with his guitar work, almost making you wish you could listen only to the guitar and scrap the background muzak. Buy all the other Ranglin albums first, and if you still want more get this. Or, if you work somewhere that plays muzak, get this album and it will be an improvement."