MeDiA Revie W
BooK
Life
Keith Richards with James Fox
Little, Brown and Company
Few autobiographies by guitarists have
been—or will be—as important as this tome
by the lead guitarist of one of the most significant rock bands ever. Keith Richards’ riffs,
recording history, and cultural impact are
undeniable, and they’ve all led to this much-anticipated tell-all that does not disappoint.
Pierre Bensusan
Vividly
DADGAD Music
On Vividly, Pierre
Bensusan defends his
title as the all-time
king of DADGAD
tuning. Throughout
this studio album,
which also includes
one live track, Bensusan’s touch on his signature
Lowden is crystal clear and speaks to not only
his amazing technique, but also the quality of
the production. Over the course of the 14 tracks,
he pays tribute to some of his friends and musical heroes, including jazz trumpeter Chet Baker,
whom he offers fitting tribute to using subtle harmonics and ringing open strings on “DADGAD
Café” without delving into the “cool jazz” genre
that Baker was known for. Sticking to a single
modal tuning, it can be easy to fall into a rut. But
on Vividly, Bensusan extends the sound of the
tuning by exploring different keys and textures
not normally associated with DADGAD. This
wouldn’t be the first album I would recommend
to someone who’s unfamiliar with Bensusan, but
the arrangements stand out as some of his most
inventive fretwork. —Jason Shadrick
ALBuM
Joanne Shaw Taylor
Diamonds in the Dirt
Ruf Records
When Joanne Shaw
Taylor made her debut
in early 2009 with White
Sugar, fans of gutsy
blues guitar sat up and
took notice of the young
British gal who could
tear up her Tele as well as any lad her age. With her
second album, Diamonds in the Dirt, Taylor brings
a new authority to her playing, songwriting, and
smoky vocals. In this set of 10 originals, the 24-year-
old bares her soul by contrasting confessional lyrics
with snarling solos. Though Taylor is categorized as a
blues musician (she won the Best New Artist Debut
at the 2010 Blues Music Awards), the grooves and
riffs she weaves into her songs owe more to early
Deep Purple, Thin Lizzy, and Free than classic Chess
or Cobra sides. If you enjoy the rough-and-ready
sounds of Rory Gallagher, you’ll dig the rockin’ vibe
Taylor brings to her blues. —Andy Ellis
