Jerry Reed Album: “Guitar Man”

"Guitar Man" is an interesting amalgamation of Jerry Reed's diverse musical catalogue with a pervasive country-funk feel, a vibe that's especially prominent on "Sixteen Tons," a song that Reed makes his own here. Many songs are Reed signature performance pieces like "Guitar Man" and "Wabash Cannonball;" even when the songs are covers of songs from recognized artists Reed puts his own unique vocal and fingerpicking spin on them. Mostly these work well (e.g. "Promises," and the particularly excellent version of "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown") though a few aren't as suited to his arrangements. I was lukewarm on "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" in particular (how could you improve on the Charlie Daniels version?), and the ambitious "Folsom Prison Blues" (tackling a classic Johnny Cash song is always tough.) The highly syncopated version of "Blue Moon of Kentucky" is certainly one of the most interesting arrangements on the album, while the vocals on "Amos Moses" are a peculiar blend of styles that reminded me of an amalgam of spoken word, country, funk, and the introduction to "Fat Albert." Surprisingly, it's a mix that works because of Reed's unique talent. It's amazing to think that the same person recorded "Amos Moses" and the classic "A Thing Called Love," which has some beautifully smooth vocals and guitar work. A particular standout is the Reed instrumental showpiece "Honkin,'" which justifies the purchase price on its own.

Overall this is a good collection for fans of Jerry Reed or classic acoustic guitar-intensive music. There are a few missteps on the CD, but "Guitar Man" is a pleasant and upbeat collection representative of Jerry Reed's unique musical skills.

i was a big jerry reed fan since i was 12 or so years old! i had his greatest hits

and uptown poker club and played them til the record wore out. never stop listening

to him but i had no idea he did rockabilly and old country! this is amazing. i had

no idea he could sing like that. he sounds like all those guys back then! i guess his

amos moses and other funky rapping kinda singing was bigger for him but this is some

good stuff. if you like his guitar playing get this for his singing too!