Eric Clapton, never shy of a compliment, once called Sonny Landreth one of the most underrated guitarists on the planet. This musician from Louisiana is mainly known to colleagues as a guitarist with his own and virtuoso slide guitar techniques. But on his bluesy solo albums, Landreth keeps himself far from showmanship and uses his seemingly carelessly performed antics mainly in the service of the
… songs and the atmosphere. Prominent names such as Clapton, Mark Knopfler and Dr. John participate, but Landreth does not enter into spectacular duels with them either. The atmosphere remains relaxed and sweltering, in a South American way. The instrumental The Milky Way Home even carries the steaming southern rock of The Allman Brothers Band. It's one of the highlights on From The Reach, because vocally Landreth knows with his lazy, dark voice not always fascinating. With his loyal bottleneck, however, he can let his six strings sing like a Stradivarius violin and his playing remains, despite all those prominent guests, the main attraction on this otherwise atmospheric and solid album. (MR)more
