Product Details
- Artist: Tab Benoit
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- Binding: Audio CD
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- EAN: 0089408365423
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- Label: Telarc
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- Manufacturer: Telarc
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- Number of Discs: 1
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- Product Group: Music
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- Publisher: Telarc
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- Release Date: 2007-06-26
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- Studio: Telarc
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- Title: Power of the Pontchartrain
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- UPC: 089408365423
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Avg Customer Rating: 
Product Description: Tab Benoit's album titles leave little doubt as to where he's from or the music he plays. Brother to the Blues, Fever for the Bayou, Wetlands, and now Power of the Pontchartrain exude the sweaty Louisiana swamp, blues, and R&B inherent in their names. But that only tells part of the story--the rest is in the grooves where Benoit's distinctive, grainy voice and tough Telecaster leads bring soul, grit, and intensity to a sound already infused with an earthy sensibility. There's more of the same on this disc, but that's no criticism. Benoit generally sticks with others' songs here, yet he unearths hidden gems. Julie Miller's "Midnight and Lonesome" is dragged into the murky swamps as a driving ballad with eerie qualities that live up to its name. Miller and husband Buddy are also credited with the righteous-yet-rugged gospel of "Shelter Me." "Somebody's Got to Go," originally by Lonnie Johnson, gets a crisp, frisky makeover, and even Buffalo Springfield's crusty "For What It's Worth" takes a swim in the muddy waters of Benoit's home state, with a little help of some altered, post-Katrina lyrics. The guitarist lets his Cajun influences fly on the bouncy rhythms of "Sac-Au-Lait Fishing," the album's only original, and shifts into pleading Otis Redding mode for the aching blues ballad "I'm Guilty of Lovin' You." The Chicago-by-way-of-the-Delta shuffle of "One Foot in the Bayou" is also an apt description of Benoit's approach. He touches on a variety of Americana styles, yet always keeps part of himself planted firmly in the wetlands of his roots. --Hal Horowitz
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Customer Reviews
Tab Benoit - Power Of The Blues
Louisiana blues ace Tab Benoit recorded this album using another Louisiana legend Leroux as his back up band for the album. The title track tackles the subject of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and it's effect on the city of New Orleans. Tab is in fine form throughout this album. His guitar playing is crisp and clean and his voice is as gruff and soulful as ever. Benoit has been churning out his special brand of Cajun blues for well over a decade now and it is a formula that he continues to improve on . Highlights include "Don't Make No Sense", "Power Of The Pontchartrain", "Midnight And Lonesome", "Sac-Au-Lait Fishing", and "One Foot In The Bayou". Tab also covers a cool version of Stephen Still's "For What It's Worth" with lyrics as fitting today as when they were written 40 years ago. This is yet another solid release from Benoit that follows in the tradition of his earlier albums.
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Call to Spirit
I bought this CD for one song, track 3, Shelter Me. To my surprise and pleasure all the tracks are good but track 3 is still the stand-out.
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Benoit knows NO feel
Good guitar. Has the feel of the New Orleans scene. Excusing an arrangement or two, it's a good listen.
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Power of the Pontchartrain
Excellent Blues cd with a strong dose of Cajun from a very talented artist! I had never heard of Tab Benoit before I found him here on Amazon, but after hearing this wonderful cd, I'm anxious to get more of his work! I'm a true fan now!
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Nearly Perfect Blues Disc
I first heard Tab Benoit at the 2006 Western Maryland Blues Fest and this is the first cd of his that I purchased. He really knows his way around a guitar and that sound dominates this effort. He runs the gamut from soulful ballads to rousing up-tempo stomps and each song is well crafted and performed. The only way he could improve this collection would be the addition of a great horn section. But it still gets 5 stars in my book.
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