deepbluereview | SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA USA | 06/29/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"COLOUR OF LOVE FEATURES AS SPECIAL GUESTS, JAZZMAN HANK CRAWFORD (RECENT CD: CRUNCH TIME) ON SAX, GREGG ALLMAN (ALLMAN BROTHERS) ON B3 AND VOCALS ON ONE SONG, JAI JOHANNY "JAIMOE" JOHANSON (ALLMAN BROTHERS) ON DRUMS AND MARC QUINONES (ALLMAN BROTHERS) PLAYING PERCUSSION. COMBINING THESE TALENTED MUSICIANS WITH THE BLUES GUITAR OF RONNIE EARL RESULTS IN A REALLY NICE BLUESY JAZZ RECORDING WITH LATIN, ALMOST SANTANA LIKE, OVERTONES. IN FACT, INSTRUMENTALS LIKE "BONNIE'S THEME" WILL HAVE YOU CHECKING THE LINER NOTES TO SEE WHETHER CARLOS SANTANA IS ACTUALLY PLAYING ON THE CD. HE'S NOT!. WHAT YOU WILL SEE HOWEVER, IS THAT EARL DEDICATES THE ENTIRE CD TO CARLOS SANTANA, DICKEY BETTS (ALLMAN BROTHERS) AND JAZZMAN PAT MARTINO ALL OF WHOSE INFLUENCES ARE WEAVED THROUGHOUT THE CD.IN ADDITION TO THE OVERALL CD DEDICATION THERE ARE INDIVIDUAL NUMBERS DEDICATED TO JIMMIE VAUGHAN, ANNE FRANK, PETER GREEN, KAY LANDRY AND ALBERT COLLINS. THIS CD IS TOP NOTCH AND WILL BE ENJOYED BY BLUES FANS, JAZZ FANS, SANTANA FANS AND PEACH HEADS ALIKE. 5 STARS."
Guitar Virtuosity. Style, Taste, and Soul.
Billy Herrington | 11/13/1998
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I first heard Ronnie Earl while having a beer with a good friend on a sunny day and being struck as if by lightning by the first few bars of "Every Day Kind Of Man" from this album. Incredible taste, soul, guitar tone, and technical skill. Bought the album and was amazed to find that here is an artist who can walk between various styles of blues to jazz to rock to latin/Santana styles without ever sounding cliched, derivative or uninspired. There is not one single misplayed/misplaced/mischosen note here. Listen to the version T. Monk's "Round Midnight" here in which every note, phrase and passage is perfectly resolved. Goosebumps.Ronnie is a "guitar player's guitar player". If you play guitar, you will know that you are listening to a Master, probably comparable to the first time you heard Clapton, Santana, Roy Buchanan, etc... He's paid his dues, and this is his breakout album, but there are many more great Ronnie Earl albums to explore (try Blues Virtuoso Live in Europe after this one...). Overall: Highly Recommended."
An incredibly versatile guitarist
Billy Herrington | Little Rock, Arkansas United States | 08/03/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Without going into a blow by blow description of every song on this CD, I would like to say that Ronnie Earl is one of the most talented and versatile guitar players I have ever heard. At times he can remind you a bit of Carlos Santana, but most of the time you just think, "Man, I have never heard anything quite like this before". Ronnie is probably best known as a blues guitarist but this work (and some of his others) goes much further, exploring the boundaries where the blues meet jazz. The rest of the players are also top notch. Ronnie seems to recognize this, keeping his playing within the context of the songs and allowing others to stretch out as well. For kicking back and relaxing after a hard week at work or to add just the right touch to a romantic environment, this music is hard to beat. We never leave for a beach vacation without a couple of Ronnie Earl CDs along for the ride."
Another guitar god
HANS D HARMS | runaway bay, QLD Australia | 12/18/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Another master class in guitar playing. Ronnie Earl plays a sort of improvisational style of blues / jazz with tinges of SANTANA and other wordly flavours. He may use some familiar phrasings but always infuses them with enough EARL to make them his own.
Some of the songs on this CD seem to be improv sessions and leave the musos with room to move within the loose structure of the compostion, allowing each of these outstanding talents to shine. Just like the listener, these guys are having tons of fun, and isn't that what musik is meant to be all about. Some of the slower pieces bring tears to your eyes, as they are loaded with emotion and RONNIE's guitar is crying in the most pitifull way. If you like the guitar, you simply must have this mans musik. RONNIE EARL is unique in his styling and approach and should therefore be in any guitar fans collection."
An incredible album
HANS D HARMS | 10/07/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I wish I could sum this album up in one sentence, but I can't. It's so many things: romantic, powerful, intricate, blistering.. Especially appreciated are Anne's Dream, Mother Angel, I Liked That Thing You Did, and Everyday Kinda Man. An amazing album that I never get tired of. Goes very well with Stevie Ray Vaughan (Best of) and Robert Cray (Take Your Shoes off)."