Editors note: Rusty Zinn will play the Dead Goat Saloon, 165 W. South Temple on Monday, Sept. 26. Doors open at 7 p.m.
RUSTY ZINN; "The Chill" (Alligator Records) ***
Rusty Zinn is a young blues guitarist. And his work has landed him on stage or in the studio with Jimmy Rogers, the late Luther Tucker, James Cotton, Mark Hummel and Kim Wilson.
"The Chill," Zinn's third album (his first for Alligator Records), perfectly showcases why he is in such demand. Zinn's raw shucking on "Just Like a Fish," "She's Got Style" and the rockabilly swing of "Drinking My Last Dime" draws the listener in, without sledgehammer power chords.
Not to let slow angst-filled, lunking chords get lost by the wayside, Zinn revitalizes the standard drag-feet shuffle on "Meet Me Halfway" and "Fallin' Rain."
The prolonged intro to the album's title cut leaves the listener hanging on every guitar pick until the toe-tapping, head-bobbing song actually begins.
The guitar is crisp and highlighted with the sharp snap of the snare during "Looking Back" and the piano-laden "I Played the Game."
As for the more emotional tunes, there's the soul-baring "Ladies's Choice" and the slide ballad "Dying on the Vine," the latter featuring Elvin Bishop on the steel slide.
"The Chill" is the perfect example of why Zinn is a hot commodity among blues leaders today.
E-mail: scott@desnews.com