★★★★★
Culled from the ashes of New Orleans' Black Top Records, these recordings dating back to the early 1980s, took place during Ronnie Earl's last few months with Roomful Of Blues and the beginning of his solo career. Earl was very much a sponge back then, absorbing several electric guitar styles. He mimics Guitar Slim on "You Give Me Nothing But the Blues," recycles Clarence Hollomon on "I Smell Trouble," and shadows Earl Hooker on "Off the Hook...
- www.offbeat.com
2010-11-09
★★★★★
Guitarist Ronnie Earl doesn't get around much anymore due to health problems, but that hasn't prevented him from performing in concert now and then. Hope Radio, a studio session recorded in front of a small crowd, finds Earl and his Broadcasters in a strictly instrumental mode, soulfully paying homage to the likes of Otis Rush, Hubert Sumlin and Jimmy McGriff. Earl, who replaced Duke Robillard in Roomful of Blues nearly 30 years ago, certainly knows his way around a fretboard...
- www.jazztimes.com
2010-02-19
★★★★★
Although Ronnie Earl already has many recording session behind him over several decades as a performer, Now My Soul is my introduction to the talent of the Boston bluesman. Inspired by T-Bone Walker, Muddy Waters and Otis Rush, Ronnie Earl spent eight years with Roomful Of Blues replacing Duke Robillard. The guitarist has won a couple of W.C. Handy Blues Awards in the category Blues Guitarist of the Year...
- www.jazzreview.com
2009-06-07
★★★★★
Guitarist Ronnie Earl has evolved from late-blooming blues axeman (he didn't take up the guitar until his early 20s) into that rare blues artist who's widely esteemed by jazz critics. The Boston-based guitarist is an unlikely jazz hero ? he doesn't read music and he isn't a master technician. Still, the 48-year-old Earl is an inspired improviser and the composer of melodic blues-based instrumentals. Perhaps most importantly, he seems to feel every note he plays...
- www.allaboutjazz.com
2009-06-05
★★★★★
Track Listing: 1. Hey Joe2. Blues for Otis Rush3. Little Johnny Lee4. Wolf Dance5. Mary Don't You Weep6. Howlin for My Darling7. Blues for the Homeless8. Big Walter9. Alone with the Blues10. Travelin' Heavy11...
- www.allaboutjazz.com
2009-06-05
★★★★★
This particular version of the Broadcasters was unarguably magical, and this recording reveals why. Recorded four years after Earl dealt with his demons (alcohol, drugs, nervous collapse), it is the first of a string of all-instrumental albums by Earl, and it drips with class and soul. It's not just the exceptional skill of the players, however, that makes it so special; it was recorded on one of a handful of audiophile labels (AudioQuest), and therefore features state-of-the-art production...
- music.aol.com
2008-08-28
★★★★★
Guitarist Ronnie Earl's realization that you don't need a vocalist to sing the blues freed him up to roam across the vernacular music landscape, dipping into jazz, gospel, and soul, and has made him one of the most innovative and interesting musicians working in contemporary blues...
- music.aol.com
2008-08-28
★★★★★
Language of the Soul is a wonderful change of pace for guitarist Ronnie Earl. The record is the first all-instrumental album Earl has recorded and, if anything, it's even more successful than his full-fledged, band-oriented records. Working without vocals has given him the freedom to try all sorts of new things, whether it's the jazzy interludes of "Indigo Burrell" or the gospel-flavored "I Am With You...
- music.aol.com
2008-08-28
★★★★★
Peace of Mind features some nice, swinging stuff.
- music.aol.com
2008-08-28
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