The Laconic

Never one to disappoint, this is another fine "real deal" blues album from the West Coast cat who wastes no notes and no time (neither yours nor his). Most of Keep the Mojo Workin' was recorded live, with just a few overdubbed solos, and was completed in just two sessions. You'll find instrumental tributes to Anson Funderburgh, Jimmie Vaughan, and Ray's late great boss, William Clarke. You also get some Billy Gibbons harmonics and early-'60s style B.B. King/Duke Jethro sounds. Covers include Albert Collins' "Backstroke," Little Walter's "Mean Old World," Eddie Taylor's immortal 1955 hit "Bad Boy," Jimmy Reed's laconic shuffle "You Don't Have to Go," and the Elmore James classic "I Believe." In addition to some great West Coast, Texas, and Chicago blues guitar playing, Ray takes to the Hammond B-3 on four of the songs. This one also showcases Charlie Chavez on vocals and harp and Stan Powell on chromatic harp.

A laconic, chain-smoking barber blackmails his wife's boss and lover for money to invest in dry cleaning, but his plan goes terribly wrong.

If you're ready to develop your own distinctive blues style, Roy Book Binder has assembled a complete vocabulary of licks and techniques to help you do it. Roy humbly calls this thorough breakdown of the elements of his own fingerstyle blues style "some tricks about playing the guitar," but don't let his laconic delivery fool you. By the time you're finished studying with "Book," you'll have a solid base of skills under your fingertips.