Shawn Pittman

A charter member of the talented group of thirty-something, Texas-based blues guitarists that includes Nick Curran, Johnny Moeller, and Mike Keller, Shawn Pittman enjoyed well-deserved acclaim from the late 1990s into the first half of the new decade. But following Stay (2004), he disappeared into self-imposed exile, completely retiring from music to take an office job and to engage in serious self-examination. After a silence broken only by four intense tracks on 2007’s Texas Northside Kings project (Dialtone), Pittman in mid-2008 resolved to take another serious shot at music, playing a grueling circuit across Texas and beginning to record Meridian. Reflecting on dark places and on new hope, the 11 new songs on Meridian develop satisfying dramatic tension and make a compelling case for the continuing relevance of vintage blues styles. Thankfully, Pittman’s newfound serenity has not blunted his edge. The harrowing “Edge Of The World” unforgettably weds a bleak lyric to a twisted, Howlin’ Wolf stomp. “Make The World Stop Turnin’,” a Frankie Lee Sims-inspired boogie, outlines a desperate state of mind, and “Fortune And Fame” contrasts its contented message with snarling guitars and a minor-key progression. But where he once sang about run-ins with the Dallas City Police, Pittman now asserts “My Luck Has Changed,” delivering an upbeat message about the fruits of hard work and a positive attitude over Elmore James’s trademark riff. And the irresistible “Just To Make People Dance” rolls a classic Chuck Berry travelogue over an infectious, chunky rhythm – talk about truth in advertising! Pittman continues to display his mastery of Texas and Gulf Coast shuffles on the fractured fairy tale “No Such Of A Thing” and the Lazy Lester-ish meditation on tattletales, “Mr. Dime Dropper.” The deep blues “High Maintenance Woman” sounds like Lightnin’ Hopkins reincarnated. The set closer “Hurricane,” a ferocious instrumental of cinematic sweep, recalls Ike Turner’s frenzied workouts. A compelling singer and gifted songwriter, Pittman may also be the best trio guitarist in the business, especially in the spare style perfected by Jimmie Vaughan with the Fabulous Thunderbirds. With a live sound anchored by ace drummer Jason Moeller, Meridian is a remarkable comeback. Aficionados of no-nonsense blues cannot afford to overlook Shawn Pittman’s return. Tom Hyslop-‘Blues Revue’