[.ca] Texas Sugar/Strat Magik

From Amazon.com:
It may be cruel to dismiss Chris Duarte as just another Stevie Ray Vaughan wannabe, but it's accurate. There's not an original sound or sentiment on this debut album, right from the copped licks of opener "My Way Down" to the environmental cautions of the finale "Borrowed Love." Duarte is technically adept enough to get many of the late Vaughan's guitar mannerisms right, from his rich-but-brittle Stratocaster tone to the turnarounds he uses to set up his solos. He's a pallid vocalist, however, which doesn't help plead his case as an emerging talent. In fact, four years after this debut--which beat both Jonny Lang and Kenny Wayne Shepard to the record stores--Duarte has yet to make his mark. --Ted Drozdowski

check out this man's guitar tone:
I think you almost have to be a guitarist to really appreciate Chris Duarte. For me his tone alone is worth 4 stars. He gets the most exquisite Stratocaster tones I've ever heard on any recording, period. (Hey if anyone out there knows what kind of pickups he uses, let me know. I know about his effects, amps, etc, just no info on pups.) Even SRV wasn't this tone-sculptured. Aubrey Freed used to be my hero in this dept; now it's Duarte. I like the songs on this CD, too, fairly good composition. I would give the CD five stars if it showed just a tad more originality, both compositionally and stylistically. But man, that tone -- I've played strats for 30 years and couldn't be more envious.

TAKE IT FOR WHAT IT IS:
First let me say I love this CD. At times he does sound like Stevie Ray, but so what! At times Stevie Ray sounded like Hendrix, should we crucify him for that? Everybody has influences. I love the blues but let's be honest, how many blues guitarists are actually doing something TOTALLY original that hasn't been done before? Chris Duarte is not the first musician to at times sound like someone else. I wish the production was a little beefier but I like this CD alot. In my book he's got nothing to apologize for. www.electriceyes.us

NOTHING ORIGINAL HERE:
I bought this CD while visiting the USA on the recommendation of a good friend who knew my love for all things guitar and SRV. This is like SRV at the age of 8 with an ordinary singer. The songs are predictable and nothing special, you can almost hear the tracks that inspired each of these compositions. His playing is OK but also nothing special. He stays so close in tone and styling to SRV that buying this CD seems totaly superfluous when you could buy SRV's CD's instead. Whoever the reviewer is that called this the best BLUES CD of the 90's, must have absolutely nothing to compere this to. This wouldn't make the top 1000 BLUES CD's of the 90's.

Impressive Debut From the Texas Guitarslinger:
It's impossible to write a review of Chris Duarte without invocking the name of Stevie Ray Vaughan. Duarte, a fellow Texan, is obviously a disciple of the late, great guitarist. In fact, Duarte dedicates the nearly ten-minute instrumental "Shiloh" to Stevie and his brother Jimmie. But while Duarte may have been influenced by the Vaughan brothers, he is no imitator. Duarte's guitar playing is both fiery and inspired. His vocals are serviceable, but it's his guitar playing that brings me back to this album time and again. I caught him live a couple years ago and his performance was dazzling. This is an impressive debut. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Beware of reviews:
Oddly the reviews of this CD on this site were the very reason I DIDN'T buy Texas Sugar for so long. I have everything SRV ever did so more of the same didn't interest me in the slightest. Who wants a copy when you have the original? Fast forward to 2007 and YouTube where I saw Chris doing Big Legged Woman at the Doubble Door Inn. It took seconds before it became very obvious Stevie Ray this wasn't. After listening to the CD countless times it turns out that Chris Duarte is Chris Duarte. Super soul funk chord guy who can blister out notes and bring on huge tone much more reminiscent of Doyle Bramhall's 'Welcome' CD than anything SRV even dreamed of. This guy is a complete original and any mention of him being a follow up to SRV is completely off the mark. Check him out on YouTube and then, if you can, find this CD and sit back and groove with one of the funkiest most soulful and inovative guitarists I've heard in a very long time. If you're a guitar player then this CD simply becomes a necessity.

• My Way Down
• Letter to My Girlfriend
• C-Butt Rock
• Just Kissed My Baby
• Shiloh
• Scrawl
• What Can I Do?
• Big Legged Woman
• Borrowed Love