Preston Shannon

May 2 - 9, 1 9 9 6

Known to have performed on Bourbon Street and in Memphis-area casinos, Shannon is a singer-guitarist who can solo himself through a fire-breathing set of slick, urban blues. So it's a mystery why he works mostly in formula blues -- from jump to novelty -- on this CD. At it's best, his guitar's nasal, single-string lines recall Lonnie Johnson or T-Bone Walker on the loungy "The Feeling Is Gone." Or he adds space between notes and a rough timbre around the edges for a rock-and-roll feel. But his strings are less weight-bearing than the horn-heavy super-structure and discreet Hammond organ props. Next to the guttural blues of Muddy Waters's "Can't Lose What You Never Had," numbers like "Baby I Will" and "Handee Man" are too groomed with Little Milton-like rhythm 'n' soul; not bad, but still, casino crowd-pleasers.

What comes through is Shannon's voice, a deep Bukka White kind of chanting and pleading (although Shannon has cleaner diction). That's what elevates this CD above Ron Levy's usual generic over-production: Shannon's staunch, rootsy vibrato and his emotional shadings and shouts. Ironically, the title track closing song is an instrumental and it may be the best listening on the CD.

-- Marc Levy

**1/2 Preston Shannon

MIDNIGHT IN MEMPHIS

(Rounder)