Ferraiolo

Mercy Me is guitarist Ronnie Earl's 28th album, and his 14th for Canada's Stony Plain. Earl is a consummate master of tone – he has never used an effects pedal. Many blues guitarists are fine soloists, but Earl is more than that: he's a true stylist and improviser who has perhaps more in common with jazz musicians though he remains willfully bound to his vocation as a bluesman. He is backed by longtime band the Broadcasters – Dave Limina (piano and B-3), Diane Blue (vocals), Forrest Padgett (drums), and Paul Kochanski (electric and upright bass). He enlisted guests for a 12-song set, almost evenly divided between covers and originals.