Vince Gill
Guitar Slinger
MCA
Vince Gill might be the best guitar player
out there who gets left out of “best guitarist”
conversations. This despite his turning down
a gig in Dire Straits, earning five Grammys
for instrumentals (out of his 20 total), and
being versatile enough to play alongside
guys like Chet Atkins, Eric Clapton, and Joe
Bonamassa. Hell, the guy even sat in with
Alice Cooper recently.
Guitar Slinger is not a self-indulgent
guitar-nut record, however, which will
make sense to long-time fans drawn to
Gill’s reserved style. Gill has always served
the song first.
Guitar Slinger’s 11 well-crafted songs
are anchored in country, but were allowed
to go musically where the lyrics directed
them. The soul-searching “Threaten Me
with Heaven” builds on gospel vocals
and benediction-type B-3 before erupting
into one of the grittiest and emotive
guitar solos Gill has recorded. “Billie Paul”
dishes up some classic,
flanger-heavy,
outlaw-era guitar.
“If I Die” probes the
drinkin’, cheatin’,
and redeemin’
depths of traditional
country that you no longer find on the
radio these days. The tear-drenched steel
guitar and bluegrass-tight harmonies
that galvanize the song’s authenticity are
also found on “Buttermilk John,” which
is a tribute to Gill’s late, long-time steel
player, John Hughey, and expertly played
in Hughey’s style by Paul Franklin. Fans
wanting more cuts in that vein will find
them as bonus tracks on the album’s
Deluxe Edition.
A number of songs, like “Who Wouldn’t
Fall in Love with You” and “Tell Me Fool,”
register within that soulful/bluesy/Adult
Contemporary vibe that Bonnie Raitt perfected
and Warren Haynes dipped into recently.
This is not an album for splitting 5-CD shuffle
time with Vai, Satch, Yngwie, and Johnson,
but as a solid Vince Gill record offering even
more guitar goodness than usual,
Guitar
Slinger lives up to its name.
Must-hear track: “Buttermilk John”