Tab Benoit – I Hear Thunder
10 tracks/45 minutes
With his first studio album in 13 years, Tab Benoit gives us ten solid, driving tracks like only he can produce. And to make things even more delightful is that Anders Osborne appears on every track!
Tab is joined by his touring band on the album. Corey Duplechin on bass and Terence Higgins on drums lay out tight grooves than wind through each cut.
Tab had full control of the production and he was happy to finally have an album truly be his from start to finish. “It’s the first album that I don’t have anybody to answer to—except me and my audience.” I hope this continues because it’s a winner.
The title track opens the CD and it’s a hard riding cut where Tab and Anders show us what’s in store. Great cut! Then it’s “The Ghost of Gatemouth Brown” and they stomp and shuffle through the song with ease. Benoit sings with his Cajun passion and the guitar licks are superb.
A slow and lamentful cut follows. “Still Gray” feature Tab singing with pain in his voice, making the listener feel his loss, and the guitar soloing adds to those feelings; beautifully done. Then it’s time for “Inner Child,” a mid-tempo, rocking cut where he sings about bringing out the inner child in his woman. Stinging guitars and a tight, hard groove make this one cool.
Benoit takes us back down to the bayou in “Watching the Gators Roll” where he regales in watching the alligators do their thing. It’s a romping and fun piece, and, of course, features more fine guitar. Next up is “Overdue,” a slow blues where Tab howls out the vocals and tears at the listeners soul.
“Why, Why” is a single that was released and it again evokes pain and suffering as he sings about hard times and problems in our society. The guitar solos again are phenomenal. Then it’s “Little Queenie” is not Chuck Berry’s tune but Tab’s take on his own little queenie. The guitar rings brightly and he sings with his trademark passion.
“I’m A Write That Down” features more poignant guitar playing as Tab again sings of retribution and not letting his women forget what she said because he’s going do what the title says. He concludes with “Bayou Man;” Benoit growls out the lead and he sings of being a Bayou Man who is going to save the women he sings about. The guitars blaze, the beat is tight and the cut is an apt conclusion to an outstanding album.
It’s been too long since we got to hear a new Tab Benoit album. His return to the studio brings us a fantastic new release that will certainly garner recognition, not because he’s Tab Benoit but because he’s given us ten great new songs with partner Anders Osborne that deliver the goods. He’s won a ton of awards over the years and he may be on his way to another one with I Hear Thunder!
