Blues In The Afterburner

This CD is a really good example of what Chris Duarte does live (although it's a studio CD) and it does have a "live" feel to it. The guitar playing is varied as is the song selection, although most of the songs fall into the blues/rock vein. One song in particular is different from the rest..."I've been a fool" which has elements of mid career Beatles and Country mixed together and has some interesting textures and colors. I really like the production in the fact that it's not overly compressed and has an in your face feel to the music which adds to the "Live in the Studio" feel.. This is an excellent CD to add to your collection. If your a Duarte fan, it's a must have. If you like hot Texas style blues, this should be your cup of tea.

OK, I have never written a review here or anywhere else but this record is good enough to motivate me to. Also, I have met Chris at a couple of shows but do not know him; I am just a fan of his music and have been since I stumbled upon him at Springfest in Pensacola about 15 yrs ago. I have seen him in front of large crowds at Indigenous Fest and in front of about 15 this past spring in Destin and he NEVER Fails to give it his all. I felt bad for him in Destin; he played like he was at Madison Square Garden.This record rocks. I am not going to discuss every song but I would have paid the price of admission just to hear Prairie Jelly! I thought I would miss his long time bassist, John Jordan, but, no offense Mr. Jordan; this rhythm section doesn't miss a lick. Robert Watson and Aaron Haggerty are great. In fact on track 7; Searching for You, it is almost like everyone is soloing throughout the whole song (Dash Rip Rock "Everybody Solo"?). It is just a fine kick butt rock song. Born to Race would have been at home on an old 70's ZZ Top record. It has that nasty bluesy feel and I think there is a laser attached to his guitar on one of the lead breaks.There are always a surprise or 2 on a Duarte record and this one has as close to a country song as I have heard him do (I've Been a Fool). I don't like country except for some Cash and Willie Nelson but hearing Chris play with a bit of a twang can't help but make me smile.Buy this record. Rock on Chris.

Blues In The Afterburner is another Well Recorder Album by Chris Duarte and Band with a touch of Psychelic just like he's previous Album : Infinite Energy & a touch of country on I've been a Fool , singing and playing on 12 Catchy tracks and Great Guitar Solos : Another Man , Make Me Feel So Right , Bottle Blues , Milwaukee Blues , Hold Back The Tears , Summer's Child , Searching For You , Black Clouds Rolling , Don't Cha Drive Me Crazy , Born To Race , I've Been A Fool and last track : Praire Jelly , all songs written by Chris Duarte except '' Hold Back The Tears '' ( by Toshihiro Sumitomo & Monji Kadowaki )Chris Duarte: Guitars and Vocals , Robert Watson : Bass and Aaron Haggerty: Drums , Pretty good for a 3 piece band another Great Album .

Chri Duarte has never released a poor album, and this is no exception. As always, some real nice guitar playing and varied types of songs. If you like Chris , then go get this.

Throughout his long and sometimes confusing recording career, Chris Duarte has been misunderstood in a variety of ways. First off, anyone whos followed Duarte's career can tell you that he has never been a wanna be/rip off/clone of anyone. SRV comparisions swarm to Texas guitarists like flies and Duarte has been plagued numerous times with the tag. And his somewhat shocking shifts in style from album to album along with some battles with addiction and other personal demons have left more than a few people scratching their heads in wonder as to who Chris really was as a musician.While Chris's early recording career was split between his classic Silvertone period (which includes his classic 94' debut "TexasSugarStratMagic" and its fine 97' follow up "Tailspin Headwhack") and 2 releases on the ZOE/Rounder label (the eclectic "Love is Greater than Me" [2000] and "Romp" [2003])...it seems Chris has found a home with Mike Varney's Shrapnel Records subsidiary Blues Bureau International, where hes released 4 studio albums and 2 compilations since 2007, a stark contrast to his sporadic early career (an album roughly every 3 years)."BLUES IN THE AFTERBURNER" is the newest Blues Bureau release from Mr. Duarte and just as you would expect from an artist who seems dead set on being unclassifiable, it is quite the eclectic collection. Duarte has been criticized in the past for his somewhat uneven records and depending on how you look at it, this release follows suit. The great thing about a Chris Duarte album is that theres always something familiar along with something unexpected in each release. One almost gets the sense that Chris is always walking a thin line between releasing material that plays it safe for the portion of his fan base that expects him to remake "TexasSugar" over and over, and more adventurous material that gets his creative juices flowing.The album also marks the first time Chris has used session players instead of his usual band. In true Duarte tradition, the album has a live feel with minimal overdubs, and sonically is filled with a nice variety of tones and feels. In terms of sheer musical prowess on guitar, Duarte is in a class by himself. Of course, his vocals have been a constant source of criticism over the years, but when paired with certain material, his voice fits the bill nicely. Guitar-wise, Chris is an enigma...anyone whos caught one of his incendiary live performances knows that he can drop jaws consistently every night with his endless array of licks, riffs, and tones...while never coming across as flashy or over the top. Still to this day, I have yet to see a more brilliantly complex rhythm guitarist than Duarte, be it blues, funk, jazz, or fusion...if he were to forego lead playing all together, his rhythm/comping skills would alone send shivers down any players spine.It's a mystery to me why Blues Bureau doesn't just shell out the dough and release a proper LIVE CD/DVD because that is truly where Duarte's brilliance shines brightest. Just watching Chris perform and play things you've never seen nor heard another player do is a surreal experience. Getting into some of the more familiar feeling tracks, there are a couple of good time danceable cuts ("MAKE ME FEEL SO RIGHT" and "DONTCHA DRIVE ME CRAZY") the obligatory TX shuffle ("ANOTHER MAN") and a pair of slow blues ("BOTTLE BLUES" and "BLACK CLOUDS ROLLING"). On the unexpected side of things, Chris treats us to a few "Americana-tinged" tracks - the driving "MILWAULKEE BLUES" and country-flavored "I'VE BEEN A FOOL" (the latter of which works surprisingly well with a very Dwight Yoakam/Pete Anderson feel).Other standout tracks include "SEARCHING FOR YOU" - a full-tilt rocker that absolutely smokes - "BORN TO RACE" a mid tempo grinder with a early ZZ Top feel - and "SUMMERS CHILD" - a nice melodic ditty with some nice tasty lead and rhythm work. But the real highlight here is the majestic "HOLD BACK THE TEARS" (a Savoy Truffle cover). Alone worth the price of admission, "HOLD BACK..." is an absolute gem of a track, with choir-like swells and backwards lead lines peppered on top of what might be Duarte's best vocal performance to date. Also worth mentioning is the album closer "PRARIE JELLY", a 6 minute spastic instrumental fusion freak out jam filled with dazzling free form bursts of spicy jazz inflected phrases.Overall, "BLUE IN THE AFTERBURNER" is yet another release that is guaranteed to generate mixed opinions. One thing is without question though, no matter what the public's reaction, Duarte continues to strive for breaking new ground with his music. Uninterested in retreading the same ground or fitting into the current music scene...unlike some of his more 'popular' contemporaries, Chris's influences do not begin and end with Hendrix and Vaughan. He is a true artist that isn't afraid to follow his muse wherever it leads him.Time will only tell where Chris Duarte's music will take him next...after all, with the talent he has on guitar, it really doesn't matter what direction his material heads in....its just a pleasure and a privilege to listen and go along for the ride.

Not as good as "Texas Sugar". This cd kicks off great, but has a few not-so-good tracks. The vocals are not great, either. When Chris gets into a groove in the second half of some tracks, it really goes great. I will try some more of his music, as I am new to this artist.

Chris Duarte's new CD, "Blues in the Afterburner" is a great CD. I love all the new songs and Chris's soulful voice coupled with his amazing guitar. I have all the Chris Duarte CD's and they all stand on their own as great accomplishments and wonderful music. Buy this CD, you'll love it and you'll find yourself riding around singing along and being totally amazed at this great musician, he never lets his fans down!!! ENJOY!

Fast Shipment Product as Advertised

La dernière production du Chris Duarte Group « Blues in the Afterburner » est appréciable, le power-trio reste dans un registre de blues texan et, sur différents tempos, nous présente 12 titres inédits. On pense invariablement à S.R Vaughan en écoutant le blues lent « Bottle blues » autrement c'est bien rock'n'roll avec « Milwaukee blues » et ça part un peu dans la country dans « I've been a fool ». Moins puissant que ses autres albums, celui-ci contient de très beaux solos de guitare exécutés avec talent comme dans « Prairie Jelly » pour une rapide cavalcade ou dans « Black clouds rolling » pour un phrasé tout en délicatesse. (12 titres / 64mn56).

Blues In The Afterburner is another great blues CD from Chris Duarte. Enjoy it! He and his Group knows how to play the blues!

デビュー・アルバム「Texas　Sugar／Strat　Magik」を聞いて衝撃を受けて以来、１７年ぶりにアルバムを購入してみました。相変わらずＳＲＶ調の1・2・3・12、サザン・ロック風の4・9・11、何故か日本人作の5、ダイアー・ストレイツ風の6、パワー・トリオ全開の7、下手なゲイリー・ムーアみたいなスロー・ブルースの8、ＺＺ・ＴＯＰ風の10と多彩なブルース・ギターが展開されています。この人の欠点はやはりヴォーカルなんだけど、Johnny WinterやＳＲＶもこんなもんですから許せます。裏ジャケの写真にあるストラトはクラプトンがレイラの収録で使っていたギターなのは有名な話です。