The only downside to Skin Deep is one that has plagued his most recent albums. There are two things you'll quickly notice if you compare Skin Deep and, say, Left My Blues in San Francisco. The first is the difference between the recording technology of those two eras. These advances have made sound reproduction clearer and more accurate, but have led to a trend towards increasingly antiseptic records filled with pristine sounds.
The second crucial difference is the backing band. The reason Skin Deep doesn't sound like the classics he cut for Chess and Vanguard is because the guys who played on those records are different. You begin with Guy and start subtracting. His music misses great sidemen like Junior Wells, Lafayette Leake, Otis Spann, Fred Below, and Jack Meyers. The interplay between musicians and chemistry with the music isn't the same. Throughout Skin Deep, Guy sounds urgent, but slick production prevents these songs from detonating.
Recording technology has advanced and maybe the musicians have, too, but the sum of the parts isn't greater. Guy is still in strong voice and his fingers still make the guitar scream, slash, and burn, which is all the reason one needs to recommend Skin Deep.
Article comments