Hell Or High Water
Tinsley Ellis has earned a reputation for heavy blues-rock guitar since he quit Atlanta's Heartfixers in 1987. Often it's been a little too heavy, ignoring the dynamic nuances that bring out the emotional nature of the blues.  But Ellis's first album for Telarc lightens up just enough, so the sweet-and-high six-string intro to "Stuck in Love" enhances the song's guitar melody and the tenderness of his lyrics. He aims for a softer, thinner tone on "Real Bad Way" and turns "Feel No Pain" into a slow, soulful essay in guitar anxiety, full of telling fills, bends, and solo breaks. He also plays some acoustic numbers that allow the butter-and-black-pepper tones of his Southern-accented voice to emerge. Not that Ellis is playing things too cool; there's still plenty of guitar fire all over this record. It's just that he's learned to control the burning.--Ted Drozdowski