Pairing two guitarists' guitarists, Ronnie Earl and Duke Robillard, "The Duke Meets the Earl" is a powerhouse blues recording. In the 1970s and '80s, Duke and Earl led, successively, the heavy-touring band Roomful of Blues. Duke later recorded with jazz greats and kept touring, while Earl formed The Broadcasters to carry on Roomful's big, bold style in his own way, eventually retiring from playing live. Earl has probably gotten more attention fan-wise, and Duke critic-wise, but here they meet on common ground.
The track lengths let them explore that territory fully -- "My Tears" clocks in at 15 minutes and the scorching "A Soul That's Been Abused" at 13. These two could play all night, of course, so it's fitting they have time to stretch out fully and really jam. Every tune offers a genius guitar conversation recorded nice and clearly, Earl on the left side and Duke on the right. Fans of blues guitar easily have their CD of the year right here. e
