Review: Shawn Pittman – My Journey

 

Shawn Pittman - My Journey

Shawn Pittman – My Journey
Format: CD – Vinyl LP – Digital
Label: Must Have Records – Continental Record Services
Release: 2025 (March 14)

Text: Bert van Kessel

The Vaughan Brothers passed on the torch. Now Shawn Pittman is the Texas Blues Torchbearer. To confirm that position he is now touring Europe with Anson Funderburgh and Mike Morgan as the Texas Blues Guitar Summit. And, he is also touring here under his own name, with The Özdemirs (Moulin Blues, for instance).

Noblesse Oblige, so Shawn Pittman has crammed his sixteenth album with 11 scorchers, nine of them are self-penned. Lewis Dickson contributed Somebody’s Gonna Win, Somebody’s Gonna Lose plus there is a great cover of Little Milton’s That’s What Love Will Make You Do. He recorded this stunning album in a Berlin studio backed by the The Ozdemirs, who provide a rock solid foundation for Shawn’s fiery fretwork and soulful vocals.

Opener Until The Time Is Right has been released as a single. It rocks subtly, until Shawn really lets go in a searing guitar solo; there is a great contribution from Simon Oslander on the organ. A similar pattern evolves in the groovy rocker Damage Is Done, but without the organ.

Add It Up has the T-birds written all over it, with Shawn playing the role of Jimmie Vaughan convincingly. The inimitable Roel Spanjers adds some great piano work and accordion on the infectious Heartbreak In East Dallas.

Stand-out track Blame it On Me fits perfectly in the Sir Douglas catalogue; it features the wonderful Texas Horns, led out by Mark Kazanoff. Shawn’s vocals are especally soulful; as Doug taught us “you can’t live in Texas if you ain’t got a lot of soul”.

Shawn Pittman sure proves him right here. On the energetic Counting Them Days keyboardist Simon Oslander rises to great heights taking Shawn’s dazzling guitar solo along with him.

The title track is an emotional slow blues in which Shawn looks back on his life a a traveling musician. The heart-piercing vocals lament convincingly “heartache is my best friend”.

Shawn Pittman truly justifies his reputation as leading man of Texas blues with this superb, scorchingly hot album.

2 mei: Moulin Blues – Ospel

Tracks:
01. Until The Time Is Right
02. Damage Is Done
03. Add It Up
04. Heartbreak in East Dallas
05. Blame It On Me
06. Tabletop
07. Low No More
08. Counting Them Days
09. My Journey
10. Somebody’s Gonna Win, Somebody’s Gonna Lose
11. That’s What Love Will Make You Do

Website: https://www.shawnpittman.com/