LABEL: LANDFALL
RATING: 4 STARS

If ever there’s been this much guitar passion injected into a single album, well, I haven’t heard it since Hendrix used to paint those unchained electric ladies back in the day. This is the blues on fire. This is a non-stop locomotive of ferocious fervor. This is a party given by many of the most legendary guitar heroes of our day for a still somewhat secret hero, Sonny Landreth, who burns with the best of them. Here’s Clapton, Knopfler, Robben Ford and Vince Gill all singing and/or trading licks with the man, each cresting each other with resplendent guitar fireworks on a train of inspired blues that resound with timeless zeal. And while the mind is reeling, in comes the unlikely duo of Dr. John and Jimmy Buffett to sing and play on the crackling “Howling Moon,” which could serve as a primer for novice bluesmen yearning to learn the fundamentals of groove. Clapton sings and plays on two tunes-both pure soul solidity-and Knopfler’s effortless elegance on “Blue Tarp Blues” is spiritual. This is a crucial antidote to all the frigid studio concoctions that reduce rock and roll to the depth of a text message. This is real. This is blues for the ages.