Search - Anson Funderburgh & Rockets, Anson Funderburgh & the Rockets :: Which Way Is Texas?

Great Music

ssbzs | Minneapolis, MN USA | 09/11/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Anson, Sam and the Rockets tee it up and hit it straight and long with this CD. I've been listening to it over and over since I bought it at their show the other night. When it finishes, I hit play to start again. Blues at it's best. Top ten reasons to buy this CD:10) It's the Blues man.
9) It's Texas Blues.
8) Not a bad tune to be found.
7) Good for the calves (can't stop toes from tapping).
6) Track #6.
5) Awesome keyboards.
4) Did I mention it's Texas Blues?
3) Sweet, Sweet Guitar.
2) That over grown kid Sam is as good as ever.
1) Two Words: Anson sings!And quite well I might add. See them live if you can, but get this CD. You won't be disappointed."

Rocket Powered Blues from the Lonestar State

Blue Oak | Winfield, IL. United States | 08/12/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What a great record! Everything about this recording wreaks of the stuff of a Grammy and W.C. Handy award. Anson Funderburgh is one heck of a guitarist and his licks power most every song on this album. AF is complemented by a bunch of talented musicians and legendary harpist/voclaist Sam Meyers from the Howling Wolf era. The Rockets ignite from the get go keep it up for 13 tracks. There is not a dog song on this recording and if you like contemporary blues at their best, this recording won't disappoint. Happy listening!!"

Not their best

Mr. M. E. Foster | Richardson TX USA | 06/25/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Anson Funderburgh has done some of the tastiest blues guitar playing ever recorded, and the harp playing and singing of Sam Myers make this band a classic. It is no wonder that they have been around for so long and have won so many awards. Although "Which Way Is Texas" is decent, I just don't think it's their best effort. The one thing I most admire about this band is Anson's guitar playing, and there isn't enough of it here to satisfy me. The songwriting isn't as witty, and, on the whole, this CD is a little bland compared to their other recordings. This is also Anson's first attempt at singing, as far as I can remember, and it's quite a rude shock after hearing the deep mellow voice of Sam Myers for so long. If you are looking for blues that is as clever and tasteful as it is down and dirty, Anson And The Rockets haven't done anything to top "Sins". Their first two albums before Sam Myers joined, "Talk To You By Hand" and "She Knocks Me Out" are also pretty darn good.



There's another thing that I should mention. Although I understand and agree with the spirit in which comparisons of Anson Funderburgh to Stevie Ray Vaughan are made, they are a bit misleading. They are both outstanding blues musicians, but since it is, after all, the guitar playing that is the centerpiece of most blues, it's only fair to point out that these two have very different styles. Stevie Ray had a fat tone that I have often heard referred-to as "wall of sound", which puts him closer to someone like Johnny Lang or Billy Gibbons than to Anson. Anson has a reedy, vintage 50's-style tone, that is much cleaner. Their choice of material is also different. Anson is closer to the blues tradition of the '50s and '60s, more like music you'd hear in a honkytonk or a biker bar, whereas Stevie Ray leaned more toward the Hendrix-style rock end of things. Anyone who bought an Anson Funderburgh record thinking only that he was going to be listening to another Stevie Ray would likely be disappointed."