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On blues vet Shawn Pittman’s 10th release, the listener will swear the Oklahoma native is recording live with a hot, grooving blues-roots outfit.
But that’s not the case.
Pulling a Stevie Wonder/Paul McCartney move, the Texas-based guitar slinger/vocalist plays every instrument save for Jonathan Doyle’s wonderful honking saxophone work. But the disc’s dozen original tunes paired with Howlin’ Wolf’s “Sugar (Where’d You Get Your Sugar From?)” sound energized and spontaneous, as if Pittman were rocking with a seasoned combo.
Since the late ’90s Pittman has worked with such blues luminaries as Mike Morgan, Sam Myers and Susan Tedeschi, and he brings all those lessons learned to the forefront on this rustic-sounding blues-roots recording.
His guitar has a fat, twanging tone, and his earthy vocals sound lifted off one of those classic Chess blues recordings.
For a good blast of vintage blues-rock that’s reverential and fresh, let Shawn Pittman take you to the edge.
– Eric Feber, The Pilot
- Eric Feber, The Pilot
After just one listen to Shawn Pittman's Edge of The World (DeltaGroove, 5/17/11) I was immediately impressed with the band and Shawn's selection of obscure blues covers. Luckily the folks at DeltaGroove had sent a physical disc which meant liner notes allowing me to fact check! First, there wasn't a band. Shawn had played everything except saxophone (Jonathan Doyle). Second, he had co-written 11 of the 13 tracks. And finally as if that wasn't enough Pittman produced and engineered the disc perfectly capturing the tone and atmosphere of those early blues recordings. Pittman has played with some of the best including Chris Layton, Tommy Shannon, Preston Hubbard, Gene Taylor and Willie "Big Eyes" Smith. If those names mean anything to you you'll have a pretty good idea what to expect. Sean described Edge of the World as " the music I want to hear". A mix of Texas blues, swamp blues and 1950's rhythm and blues Edge of The World is the best blues album I've heard this year and a truly amazing one man project. - Hal Bogerd
There are a lot of mysteries in the music business, and one is why Shawn Pittman isn’t a star. He is a dazzling blues guitarist, a soulful vocalist, and a talented songwriter. He ranks with the better blues guitarists of the era; his timing and phrasing are superb as he uses spacing between notes to give his sound better clarity. As with many of the best guitarists, this ability seems to be intuitive rather than a learned one.
Pittman has now returned with his tenth studio album, Edge Of The World. He continues to be a one-man band in support of his guitar playing. He plays all the instruments except for saxophone and horn arrangements, which are in the capable hands of Jonathan Doyle. He also wrote or co-wrote 11 of the album's 13 tracks.
Pittman was born in Oklahoma but has been associated with the Texas blues movement since the early 1990s. As a teenager he became attracted to the music of Jimmy Reed, Elmore James, and Albert King, and he hasn't looked back since.
It is immediately apparent from the opening notes of Howlin’ Wolf’s “Sugar (Where’d You Get Your Sugar From)” that this is a blues album and nothing but a blues album. The guitar solos flow in and out of the melody as Pittman's voice growls over the top. Next up is “Leavin’ Load,”, which is a shuffle blues boogie with a piano in the background and a honking sax.
“Scent of Your Benjamins” makes use of a rhythm section to provide a foundation for his guitar excursions. The saxophone runs counterpoint to the guitar, and Pittman's use of a talking-blues style in places is inventive. “Almost Good” chugs along nicely while “That’s The Thing”offers up a welcome change of pace with its ever-building, slow-burning style.
Edge Of The Road is at heart a traditional, electric-blues album. Pittman has learned his craft well, demonstrating as much by playing various types and styles of blues that is energetic and creative, as well as sounding well-produced. He has been playing top-notch blues for a long time, and hopefully this release will bring him the fame and commercial success he so deserves.
- David Bowling
Discography
Edge of the World
Undeniable
Meridian
Too Hot
Movin and Groovin'
Texas Northside Kings
Stay
New King in Town
Something's Gotta Give
Burnin' Up
Johnny Moeller's Blues Aggregation
Johnny Moeller-Bloogaloo
Big Pete-Choice Cuts
Smokin Joe Kubek and Bnois King (to be released soon)
Mike Morgan -I like the Way You Work it
Photos
Bio
Although hes often closely associated with the Lone Star State since taking up residence in Dallas,Texas in the early 90s, vocalist/guitarist Shawn Pittman is actually an Oklahoma native. Pittman was born in the small town of Talahina and raised in Cleveland County, Oklahoma. At eight years old he began taking piano lessons under the encouragement of his mother,but later began sneaking into his older brothers room to play on his drum kit. By age fourteen,he had switched to guitar and was soon introduced to the mysterious sounds of Lightnin Hopkins and Muddy Waters by Bracken Hale , a good friend and member of his seventh grade football team. Their friendship would prove significant as Hale would later collaborate with Shawn on writing material for many of his albums. He was also turned on to Elmore James and Albert King by Tulsa native and early guitar mentor Bernard Bigby.
Pittman moved to Dallas when he was seventeen and attended Booker T Washington High School for the Performing and Visual arts. He later dropped out ironically, because he was failing his guitar class. He picked up his music education courtesy of his uncle who would take him over to the Schooners Jam in Dallas where he first met Hash Brown,Mike Morgan, David BottleheadMiller and was able to jam with players like Sam Myers. His first album was Blues from Dallas was recorded in 1996 and later picked up and retooled for his national debut in 97 as Burnin up on the short lived Cannonball Records label. His second Record Somethings Gotta Give was produced by Jim Gaines (Stevie Ray Vaughan,Steve Miller, Santana) and followed in '98. Pittman toured briefly with Susan Tedeschi in '99 just long enough to make an appearance on the Conan O'brien Show.
The following year he relocated to Austin,TX and recorded his third record with Double Trouble called 'Full Circle.' In 2004 he added a much more experimental album called 'Stay.' After a much needed break form 2005-2008, Pittman returned to performing and made a plan to record one album per year. By mid-2010 he had already five independent releases under his belt! This flurry of activity eventually led to a new recording contract with Delta Groove and plans were set in motion to record yet another album.
"Edge of the World' marks Shawn Pittman's tenth release and contains an inspired program of original material by an accomplished singer,songwriter and guitarist, recalling all the vintage tones and ambiance of the great blues recordings of the 50's and 60's. Even more astonishing is the fact that Shawn plays virtually every instrument on the CD, handling everything from vocals and guitar, to bass,drums,and piano on top of doubling as the album's engineer! Special guest Jonathan Doyle (Mighty Blue Kings, Jimmy Sutton's Four Charms, West Coast Shivers) represents the album's only other personnel by contributing tenor and baritone saxophone on four songs. When asked to comment about the songs on the record Pittman stated "I'm just playing the music I want to hear."
Jeff Scott Fleenor
Delta Groove Productions and radio host of "The Blues Disease" radio program www.kuci.com
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