Search - Tab Benoit :: Standing on the Bank

On his first two albums, Tab Benoit epitomized everything that's wrong-headed about young blues revivalists; the twentysomething Louisianan overplayed his guitar, over-emoted his vocals and generally replaced the drama of the blues with histrionic melodrama. If one were to prescribe an antidote for such excesses, it would be a trip to Pedernales, Texas, and a collaboration with Mr. Laid-Back himself, Willie Nelson. That's precisely what Benoit has done on his latest recording, "Standing on the Bank." The cure isn't wholly successful, for Benoit still overdoes it on occasion, especially when he tries to act the macho stud on tunes such as "Make Your Mind Up" or "You Got What I Want." But when he reins himself in, he reveals just what a strong, handsome tenor he has and just how easily he can get around on the guitar. --Geoffrey Himes