Hoosegow

Guitarist Elliott Sharp is most known for experimental outings that are characteristic of the late-20th century "downtown" New York scene, but he has also expressed a deep love for the blues. Even so, Hoosegow -- which features Sharp on guitars and Queen Esther on vocals -- will surprise much of his audience. Queen Esther and Sharp wrote all but one of the songs on their debut Mighty, which is rooted in the classic Chicago electric blues sound, although there is no instrumentation except for Sharp's guitars and Esther's vocals. Sharp proves himself to be quite the virtuoso on stinging blues guitar, and Esther a capable (though not thrilling) singer. The material is more restless and impressionistic than much contemporary blues, refusing to fall into good-timey cliches. It's just off-kilter enough to confuse traditional blues fans, and may be too traditional and accessible for Sharp's usual constituency. On top of that, it's being marketed by an alternative rock label, which means it could well fall between the cracks. That would be unfortunate, as it's a more interesting release than the usual contemporary blues fare, though hardly brilliant. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide