As the title and cover art suggests,
Triple Fret is a player's album. Although
Bernard Allison gets star billing (and does all the vocals), this is a trio record, with fellow electric blues guitarists
Larry McCray and
Carl Weathersby contributing as much guitar firepower as
Allison. Even better, second-generation Hammond organ legend
Lucky Peterson guests, adding some welcome musical variety to the otherwise fret-heavy selection and getting his own showcase, the smoking seven-minute instrumental workout "Where's Lucky?" That leaves the songwriting as the only weak spot, but unfortunately, it's pretty seriously weak. Most of the songs on
Triple Fret are hackneyed Chicago blues riffs with self-referential lyrics about how hard it is to be a bluesman. Tune out the lyrics and the undistinguished chord changes and the sheer enjoyment of the trio's playing comes through. For some, however, that might not be quite enough. ~ Stewart Mason