Born Survivors

Hailing from the Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan school of blues-rock, Little Jimmy King turns in a promising eponymous debut. Though he leans a little to heavily toward rock & roll for some tastes - at his rootsiest, he sounds like Albert King - there's no denying his skill. King runs through a number of rollicking uptempo tracks, shuffles, R&B grinders, smoldering slow blues and even funk in the form of a cover of Sly Stone's "Sex Machine." Though his songwriting isn't quite up to par, his conviction carries him through the weakest moments and he shows signs of developing into a more distinctive songwriter. On the whole, it's an exciting, promising debut.