Live at LIBW begins with almost introspective noodling, like Chambers is just warming up. Which turns out to be be the case when only seconds later he’s like a supersonic fighter jet blasting off the runway, getting ready to soar.
Chambers’ aggressive, almost bloodthirsty slasher style masks an intimate knowledge of everything that a guitar is capable of, from which he coaxes sounds ranging from a blood-curdling scream to a sultry sigh.
Chambers came by his talent the old-fashioned way, by first learning the intricacies of his chosen instrument, then the finishing master strokes from one of the masters of Delta Blues, Hubert Sumlin — a case of the maestro-in-training learning from the maestro himself. Chambers then went off on his own and put all those lessons to work, wowing audiences across the globe. He’s paid his dues and has been rewarded with not one but two appearances on the House of Blues Radio Hour. He’s shared the stage with everybody who’s anybody in the guitar-slinger world, from B.B. King to Robin Trower, by way of Bo Diddley, Leslie West and Robert Cray. Other non-slinger stalwarts include Koko Taylor, Kim Wilson, Greg Allman, Little Milton, James Cotton and Pinetop Perkins.
There isn’t much new on this CD, which is a mix of mostly his own material and some covers, many of which have been featured on previous releases. One he pulled from the place where some of his roots grow, “Dust My Broom.” Elmore James brought the heart and soul of this song straight from Texas, and Chambers’ interpretation adds some Delta and Chicago to the mix, serving up a banquet.
Sean Chambers’ back-ups on this CD add more than competent instrumentation in the form of Jeff Artabasy on bass, Paul Broderick on drums, and Gary Keith on harp. Chambers’ most recent release before this one, Ten Til Midnight, spent three months on the Living Blues chart and enjoyed steady airplay all over the U.S. and much of the rest of the world’s blues stations. This CD is already on a tear to equal that.
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