2012 Music Top

Position: 96 of 100

Artist: Ronnie Earl & Irma Thomas

Song: I'll Take Care Of You

Album: Deep Blues (1985)

Alternate video link: http://www.vplay.ro/watch/2ug749xx/

Ronnie Earl is a blues guitarman than hasn't really permeated the European music scene, however he's a diligent bluesman that's been around since the 1980s and still keeps plugging away at songs back in the states. I discovered him via the same Roots & Blues podcast I mentioned before and started digging through his You Tube videos.

I pulled this song from his 1985 album because of two reasons: it's a cover of a Bobby Bland song that actually does the original justice and it showcases some of the gentlest blues touches on that guitar that I have ever heard.

I always said that blues can be brought to its superlative by two routes, both having to do with squeezing the maximum amount of feeling out of that electric guitar. One way is to simply go all out on it and there'll be examples of this higher up in the top, the other is to tune up to a certain sound and just caress the guitar. The latter is employed here midway through the song and it suits the composition perfectly. A definite "hair standing up on the back of your neck" moment.