Audio CD review:
Ronnie Earl - Healing Time

Ronnie Earl - Healing Time

Band: Ronnie Earl Title: Healing Time Rating: Release Date: 27 June, 2000 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Churchin' 2: Catfish Blues 3: Idle Moments 4: Thembi 5: Blues For Shawn 6: Glimpes Of Serenity 7: Lunch at R & M's 8: Song For A Brother 9: Bella Donna 10: Blues On A Sunday 11: Amazing Grace

Editoral Review An all-instrumental record of deep passion and virtuosity, Time features song structures that are loose and laden with thoughtful riffs and solid work from Earl and his players, recalling Carlos Santana's fiery licks and the jazz guitar textures of Wes Montgomery. On Healing Time, the line Ronnie Earl blurs between jazz and blues gets even blurrier than on his 1997 record, The Colour Of Love. Their attention to each song's changes and transitions makes for vivid textures and wide-ranging moods, while varying the instrumental focal points of each allows the musicians to reveal the songs' emotional cores. Jumping out of the gate with "Churchin'," the record is given a gospel tinge by Jimmy McGriff's Hammond B-3 that pops up again later on "Blues on a Sunday. " Throughout, on songs like "Thembi," with its piano-based breeziness, and "Idle Moments," with Earl's mournful guitar work, it's clear that Earl and his band have worked hard to provide these songs with whatever touch of instrumentation or genre-bending they might need to sound complete. By letting his insightful musicality guide him, and allowing each song to blossom with individuality, Earl creates an endlessly fascinating record that fairly brims with the light of inspiration. --Matthew Cooke .. You can see a complete list of all Ronnie Earl discography, or go back to the Ronnie Earl tabs