Vargas Blues Band ~ Last Night ~ CD

Javier Vargas from Spain has long been one of the blues/rock world's best kept secrets. He was born in Madrid, Spain and later moved to Argentina, where he began taking guitar lessons. Inspired by rock groups such as Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, as well as bluesmen such as Freddie King and Albert Collins, he dedicated himself to becoming a professional guitarist. Javier moved to the United States and played clubs and sessions in Nashville and Los Angeles. He returned to Spain, and in 1991, the Vargas Blues Band was formed - "All Around Blues" was the first album released by the group. Several more albums were to follow, and Vargas' song "Blues Latino" was even included on the Santana Brothers album in 1993. Throughout the '90s, the Vargas Blues Band continued to record, and in 1999, the group's first live appearance in the US was at Buddy Guy's Legends.



Vargas is a powerhouse guitarist who also is among the more tasteful players that I have heard. While many of his other recordings show elements of jazz, funk, Latin, and even flamenco, "Last Night" is purely a Chicago blues masterpiece. While Vargas' guitar is front and center throughout the recording, so are the incredible vocals of Bobby Alexander, who sounds like he was born to sing Chicago style blues. His voice, like Vargas' guitar, is powerful yet smooth. They are more than capably supported by the first rate bass guitar of Fran Montero, David Lads Sánchez on keyboards, and Jota Marsán on drums. Though Vargas and Alexander are the core, this is very much a team effort and everyone in the band contributes on this great set.

This CD is spectacular from start to finish and one of the finest live recordings. The live sound quality is extraordinary and really makes you feel like you are front row center for the show. From the opening notes of the Vargas original "Scratch Me Back", through a great cover of "I Play The Blues For You", on past the band's rendition of Jimmy McGriff's "All About The Girl", and concluding with Vargas' thunderous "Black Cat Boogie", this is a CD that any blues/rock or Chicago blues fan is going to want to own. The CD also comes with an excellent 12 song DVD of the band in concert, which makes this indeed a lot of splendid entertainment. The video DVD will be uploaded as a new post following this one.

The Band:

Javier Vargas: Electric Guitar
Fran Montero: Bass
David Lads Sánchez: Keyboards
Jota Marsán: Drums
Bobby Alexander: Vocals

Tracks CD:

01. Scratch Me Back
02. Big Boss Man
03. Blues Magic
04. Bound For Memphis
05. Make Sweet Love 2 U
06. I Play The Blues For You
07. Can`t You See
08. Do You Believe In Love
09. All About The Girl
10. Last Night
11. Killing Floor
12. Black Cat Boogie

Recorded live at Buddy Guy`s Legends November 1999 with guests Larry McCray and Sugar Blue.

Band Official Website

Enjoy!

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