Chris Duarte & Bluestone Company-396 (2009)

Another memorable album of high-voltage, gritty blues rock, this is the eighth release from Texas-born guitarist Chris Duarte, who, along with the Bluestone Co., has produced one of those essential albums of the best modern Southern blues. Here, his backing band is the Japanese Bluestone Company, a tight and precise instrumentation that doesn't let up for a single moment throughout the entire album. From the dusty Southern rock of "Chattahoochee Side" and "396", to the blues rock of "Mad As I Can Be", and including more conventional tracks like the bluesy rock and roll of "Put Up or Shut", the funk rock of "Funky Mama", the frenetic "Give It Back to Me", and the powerful "Angelina".