Tinsley Ellis’ almost feral attack on the guitar is put aside for more considered riffs and melodies on his first-ever all-instrumental release, the brilliantly un-volcanic, endlessly varied Get It!
Not that it isn’t fun hearing Ellis tear his instrumental to splinters, mind you. But there is a more considered, rich and emotional tone pervading this album that makes it a must-get for anyone who loves not just the flash but also the bone-deep soul of forebears like Freddie King — a clear influence, and the subject of a terrific cover, “Freddy’s Midnight Dream.”
But that’s not all.
Get It!, which arrives courtesy of Heartfixer-Landslide, also includes a tip of the hat to Albert Collins on Ellis’ sharply drawn “Front Street Freeze,” a tongue-waggingly fun cover of Bo Diddley’s “Detour,” tender whispers of Duane Eddy on the ballad “Milky Way,” some of Chuck Berry’s legendary wit on “Berry Tossin'” and a tribute to Roy Buchanan on the harrowing “Anthem for a Fallen Hero.”
The Atlanta-born Ellis has, over the years, become a canny synthesist — even as he’s continued to chisel out his own distinctive sound. Joined by keyboardist Kevin McKendree, drummer Lynn Williams and (on five tracks) bassist Ted Pecchio, Ellis unleashes some grease-popping Meters-flavored funk on “Sassy Strat,” shuffles his way through the Texas dust on the title track, stomps with happy glee on his wah-wah for “Fuzzbuster,” and then closes with the darkly contemplative “Catalunya,” bringing in a series of impressionistic, Santana-inflected lines.
In other words, if you always suspected that there was almost nothing this next-gen guitarist genius couldn’t do, Tinsley Ellis’ tour de force Get It utterly confirms it.
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