The gangster of the blues guitar, and one-time original member of the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Texan Jimmie Vaughan is back with his latest outing, and if you’re a blues fan, you should check this disc out. This time around, JLV touches a lot bases. He’s not much of an originator, but his choice of influences is eclectic and impeccable. Case in point is the title track, “Baby, Please Come Home,” a super New Orleans shuffle originally done by Lloyd Price.

Despite JLV being a guitar virtuoso, this song (like many tracks here) is dominated by a big fat horn section, and anchored by a dominant baritone. In fact, the baritone takes several booming solos throughout, including “Be My Lovey Dovey,” an obscure early Etta James jewel. Speaking of Jack & Jill, there’s a really dead-on version of the dynamic duos “No One To Talk To (But the Blues).” Other artists that get a tip of JLV’s hat are Bill Doggett, Earl Gaines, Jimmy Reed (of course Reed’s simple playing was the corner stone of JLV’s early guitar style) and fellow guitar gangsta’, Johnny “Guitar” Watson. JLV’s take on Watson’s haunting “Midnight Hour” faithfully duplicates Watson’s strained, slashing guitar breaks and fill ins. In fact, plenty of that style of playing is also heard here on “No One To Talk To (But the Blues).” Slightly short on playing time, this album will nonetheless be tracking in my Volvo pdq.

Definitely worth a listen.