Jeff Healey
Mess of Blues (Ruf)
ESSENTIAL "I'm Torn Down"
Apart from Stevie Ray Vaughan, the most dazzling blues-rock guitarist of the post-'80s generation might have been Jeff Healey. He lost his sight shortly after birth and recently passed away from cancer at age 41, but Healey could play the blues with a passion and skill that left observers stunned. Healey had a brush with fame with his Grammy-nominated "See the Light" album in 1988, but spent most of the last decade performing jazz in his home base of Toronto. This new, posthumously released disc is his first blues-rock record in eight years. He always had flashy technique, but there's an increased soulfulness in the B.B. King-flavored "How Blue Can You Get" and lively blues-swing of "I'm Torn Down." Rather than just shower you with notes, as he once did, Healey is more economical and enlightened in style. He sings beautifully as well, getting funky on "Sugar Sweet" and offering hard-edged boogie-woogie on "It's Only Money." Four of the ten tracks are live from shows in Toronto and London. A sublime disc - and a fitting climax to his career. [Steve Morse]
