Troy Turner - Blues On My Back - 1999

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Troy Turner - Blues On My Back - 1999

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Product Description: Recording information: Big Sound; The Studio, Portland, ME. This Louisiana-flavored debut from guitarist and vocalist Troy Turner is highly reminiscent of the work of another Louisiana-blues swamp rocker, Kenny Neal. And no wonder; the two are good friends who've toured together, and Turner has done a lot of axe time with other members of the Neal clan. Yet Turner's got his own style, too, and it's a strong, brash, energetic one, a contemporary blues synergy that brings in rock, funk, and a distinctive Louisiana taste to give a real kick in the pants to songs like "World Without Fear" and "Hide Away." Turner can lay back, too, as he does on "Going Back to Louisiana," a slower song that still moves, very much like a lazy southern river. Turner's also got the sort of rich voice that can handle deep ballads and up-tempo party songs with equal ease–and can go so far as to imitate John Lee Hooker on the album's closing number, the appropriately titled "Mojo Boogie."

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Troy Turner - Blues On My Back - 1999

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Review: Barely 30 years old, armed with a remarkably rich, seasoned voice and a sizzling guitar sound, Troy Turner is not just another prodigy from the Stevie Ray Vaughan school of Texas blues. While his chops are powerful, Turner’s compositions are tight, focused, and credible. With Blues on my Back, his first release on Telarc, Turner has finally come into his unassailable own. The instrumental opening track, “Hide Away," is a passionate blend of blues and rock set to a rumbling, rolling gait. "Black Cat Bone" offers a heady rush of lyrical, muscular guitar, while "Protection" is full-tilt roots-boogie, and "Lonely Café" is a fiery blues epiphany. Turner succeeds so well with these tunes because the blues is part of his birthright. Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Turner toured and spent time with Kenny Neal and his family. He also hung out with such legendary local musicians as Tabby Thomas, Buddy Guy, Henry Gray, and Raful Neal. Turner was “discovered” as a youngster and released two critically acclaimed albums on Kingsnake. Soon he was sharing the stage with B.B. King and Stevie Ray Vaughan. For ten dizzying years on the road, Turner suffered a rough and tumble existence, eventually succumbing to the various temptations. Several songs on this disc reflect that—sometimes dark (“Poison the Well”) and occasionally showing signs of hope (“It’s Harder Now” and “World Without Fear”). Troy Turner has emerged at the beginning of a great creative period, a talented young musician interested in stretching the boundaries of the blues while addressing the world’s larger social concerns. With the release of Blues on my Back, Turner’s future is assured.

Note: Credit to JamesBrown, the original uploader.

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Troy Turner - Blues On My Back - 1999

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Troy Turner - Blues On My Back - 1999

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