One listen to "Better Start Now" or "Matters of the Heart" will be enough to convince anyone that young axeman
Jake Andrews owes a debt to the late
Stevie Ray Vaughan. However, he's definitely not cut completely from the same Texas cloth --
Andrews' music doesn't have the same swing, and on tracks like "They'll Never Know" it's apparent that his tastes run outside the blues, too, to something a little heavier. He also loves his riffs -- not to mention the careful neo-'50s retro styling of his clothes. That he can play guitar is beyond question, and music's always going to have room for another good guitar slinger. His problem, at least for now, is that he's yet to really develop any individuality. His compositions here are pretty anonymous, and sometimes ponderous, such as the lengthy "In Your Sunshine," which comes across like a not particularly good
Free outtake. His voice, too, could almost be anyone, although you sense he'd love to be
Paul Rodgers. Just listen to "Prince of This World" and the influence of that band and singer are crystal clear; however,
Andrews hasn't managed their use of space and dynamics. And while the song should always be thing, by focusing more on the song than his fretwork,
Andrews isn't playing to his strengths. Even the boogie of "2 Dirty Dogs," which
Vaughan would have sent to the stratosphere, never properly ignites -- although you suspect it could be a killer live. There's plenty of time for improvement, though --
Andrews is still young, and the blues lasts a lifetime.