One of the brightest stars in the world of modern blues music will be in Charlottesville on Sunday, June 15 as Tab Benoit performs at the Gravity Lounge on the Downtown Mall.  Tab Benoit, whose recording career began back in 1992 with the release of his debut album Nice and Warm (Vanguard), has built his reputation through constant touring behind each of his fifteen albums to date and by adhering to his straight ahead approach to the blues.  And O yeah, it doesn’t hurt to have loads of talent either.

Hailing from New Orleans, LA, Tab’s style combines the swampy, funky flavor of the bayou with a guitar-driven style drawn from the blues of East Texas.  Add to the mix, Benoit’s soulful, whiskey-soaked vocals as well as a desire to celebrate a range of influences extending from the classic country of Hank Williams to the screaming guitar blues of Buddy Guy, and what you’re left with is a figure, who in many ways, stands alone on the contemporary blues stage.

Tab Benoit performs at the Gravity Lounge tonight at 8pm.  Cost is $20.  His most recent album, the live effort Night Train to Nashville (Telarc) is reviewed after the jump.

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[The following review first appeared on the online pages of AmericanaRoots.com on May 9 of this year]

Tab Benoit–Night Train to Nashville (Telarc)

At forty years of age, Tab Benoit is quite young by blues standards. From a career standpoint Benoit is just now hitting his prime, which is a scary thought when you consider he’s already being compared to the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughan, Albert King, and Jimi Hendrix. Over the past six years since signing with Telarc Records in 2002, Benoit has released a string of critically praised albums including a Grammy-nomination for his 2006 studio record Brother to the Blues. More recently Tab was named “The B.B. King Entertainer of the Year” and “Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year” at the 2006 Blues Awards. Tab Benoit’s most recent effort, the live album Night Train to Nashville captures one of electric blues’ brightest stars doing what he does best, blowing audiences away.

Recorded live at the Nashville blues club The Place on Second Street on May 9, 2007, just one day before he walked away with the two big prizes from the Blues Music Association, Benoit is joined on stage by Louisiana’s Leroux along with a string of special guests including Kim Wilson of the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Jimmy Hall of Wet Willie, Waylon Thibodeaux on fiddle, and Jumpin’ Johnny Sansone on accordion. Even Americana stalwart and Nashville resident Jim Lauderdale manages to jump on stage to add a country flavor to the blues proceedings.

From start to finish Night Train to Nashville blows through eleven great tracks that touch on a range of styles and influences, stretching from the swamps of Louisiana to the blues clubs of Chicago. Benoit even manages just to throw in just a touch of twang for the Nashville audience, especially on “Moon Comin’ Over the Hill,” which also happens to be the sole track featuring the added vocal appearance by Lauderdale.

No one track is to be overlooked but if you want to jump right into the album’s finer moments then you have to check out the soulful, straight-ahead blues found on “Darkness,” which happens to feature Benoit’s stand-out performance as a vocalist as he digs down deep to find both passion and power. The albums other high point is one of those dirty, sweaty, moaning blues numbers as Wet Willie’s Jimmie Hall adds vocals and a wailing harmonica to “Muddy Bottom Blues.” But if in the end you’re just looking to cut loose and boogie then head back to beginning for the lead off track “Night Train” which invites you to hit the dance floor with it swaying, pounding rhythm.

At its heart, Night Train to Nashville captures Tab Benoit on a very special evening that is in many ways unlike any of his live shows. Joined by a collection of friends and blues legends, this record pays tribute to the years of hard-work and constant touring that have gotten Tab Benoit to this pivotal point in his career while providiing a small snapshot of the greatness that is sure to come in the years ahead.

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