With both
Alberts sadly no longer with us and
B.B. King threatening to retire, there's certainly a void in the blues world -- especially for some tasty and spacious guitar work à la the aforementioned masters. As heard throughout his 2008 release,
Daylight at Midnight,
Travis Haddix has certainly answered the call. Having issued countless releases over the years for a variety of smaller labels (including Ichiban and his own imprint, Wann-Sonn Records),
Daylight at Midnight is
Haddix's first for Earwig Music. And the label switch hasn't hampered the singer/guitarist's desire to offer authentic blues-rock (which includes standout horn, harmonica, and piano work), as heard on such standouts as the album-opening "Word a Lie" and "Daylight at Midnight," as well as the vintage Stax-esque sounds of "Who Could I Be?" Overall,
Daylight at Midnight could be studied as a 101 course on how to play undoctored and real blues-rock -- the right way. ~ Greg Prato