* Corey Stevens

BLUES DROPS OF RAIN

(Discovery)

At his best, young guitarist Corey Stevens sounds uncannily like Stevie Ray Vaughan. So much so that it's more creepy and sad than virtuous. One hopes a young performer would be inspired to find his own voice by a player as unique and original as Vaughan was -- much as Vaughan synthesized Albert King, Buddy Guy, Albert Collins, and Hendrix into his own blues bag. From Stevens's Vaughan-mimicking look to his Vibro-Verb-drenched tone, this CD plays out hero worship to a pathetic degree.

-- Ted Drozdowski