**1/2 Blue Guru

JOHN TIVEN'S EGO TRIP

(Fountain Bleu)

Wherein songwriter, producer, and guitarist John Tiven gets his ya-yas by making a laid-back, rocking blues album with his friends, who happen to include hotshots Vernon Reid, Muzz Skillings, the late Arthur Alexander, Michael Hill, and Spooner Oldham. But this is more than a lark. "River of No Return" is a better Robert Cray performance than you'll find on his last album, and "Better Him Than Me" rides a funky Delta groove (and espouses sentiments we can all relate to) without any concessions to alterna-rock mandated irony (in other words, no Jon Spencer bullshit). Good playin', good singin', and good intentions (the CD's dedicated to R&B legend Don Covay) all add up right.

-- Ted Drozdowski