Always on the lookout for more of the laid back Blues-Rock groups, I was happy to receive another nudge from my Texas muse, AggieBrett. He's beginning to be familiar with the sort of eclectic stuff I crave, and mentioned Chris Duarte, as a guitarist I would no doubt enjoy. He was right on the money again!

Texas Sugar/Strat Magik perfectly describes this debut CD from The Chris Duarte Group. Duarte's been kicking 'round some of Austin, TX's most venerable watering holes and has seasoned his playing over the years with a righteous combination of Blues/Jazz and the sort of road house Rock this baby boomer craves.

Playing with beer hall house rockers such as Bobby Mack & Nightrain, Duarte developed his style of percussive, mean and lean guitar playing and learned to get along with just about anyone. Work with Junior Medlow & The Bad Boys polished his soulful chops and uncovered his abiding love of testifying-style Blues and funk.

Let's go ahead and get the inevitable comparisons to Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughn out there, okay? (Personally, I don't have a problem with comparisons, since I know a person trying a new fruit for the first time will always ask what does it taste like? That's par for the course, as is the tendency to associate this new experience with a familiar one, such as "It tastes like a combination of a strawberry and a lime.") Texas Sugar/Strat Magik has more than a taste of these major Duarte influences as well as nuances of many of the club musicians he's rubbed shoulders with over the years.

Yes, On My Way Down pays homage to Jimi, with plenty of sustained notes and soaring leads. Duarte's adequate tenor vocals don't get in the way, and he's obviously also enjoying the funkiness of Scrawl, a frequent concert request.

Classic 4/4 time signature stroll and boogie appears courtesy of more traditional Blues on What Can I Do, which starts out with a opening flurry of notes similar to Red House, (a Hendrix classic, and Duarte staple, not included on this album). Letter To My Girlfriend mines similar tradition, with plenty of Vaughn Brothers style and perfect execution.

Duarte reminds me of a cross between roadhouse rebel Joe Ely and California guitarist Coco Montoya on the likable, uptempo Big Legged Woman. As a woman who's always possessed these sort of limbs herself, I was overjoyed to hear Chris informing us that his big legged woman was of the positive sort, one that would never make me feel like dirt, rather than the usual temperamental mean mistreater usually portrayed!

The three best cuts feature a couple of very different instrumentals and a cover of a favorite Meters' composition. The one that crowds clamor for most would be Shiloh, a tour de force strat workout, with pain and emotion wrung from every lick. This is a love letter to Stevie Ray and his many fans and clocks in at an impressive 9:40. In live performance, I'm told this can easily run to 20 minutes, with a soaking wet Duarte giving it all he's got.

My personal favorite would be the quirky time signature of Just Kissed My Baby. Jazzy, sexy and poly-rythmic, here Chris' vocals are at their brightest, and the unusual 7 string bass work of John Jordan acts as another guitar and bass-really something to hear! Brandon Temple's drumming is likewise outstanding on this generous 6:44 slab of soulful strut. It's clear Chris' time spent with the band Arson honed his jazz improv chops and offers further testimony of his versatile playing.

The other instrumental is C-Butt Rock, a upbeat boogie sure to have the dancers out in full force. I liked the growling bass line and Chris' progressions upon a simple riff. He's learned the art of thinking on his feet/flash musical inspiration on the long road to this release, and this is the solid work no sort of tyro could manage.

As impressive as this debut album would prove to be, Duarte does grow by leaps and bounds with each subsequent release. Chris spreads his wings a bit on Tailspin Headwack, and indulges in a bit of spiritual element on his third CD.

Also of interest are the "approved bootleg" CDs and cassettes of his incendiary live performances, at the Chris Duarte website, (www.chrisduartegroupfans.org), with plenty of samples available to help you decide if you'd like Duarte & Co. to spread a little Texas sugar over you as well.

Great Music To Play While: Kissing My Baby

Recommended: Yes