Tom Ball & Kenny Sultan - Double Vision (1996)

One of the more original and underappreciated acoustic blues revivalist acts, Ball and Sultan have developed an engaging repertoire with an emphasis on "good-timey" folk-blues, including guitar-and-harp adaptations of songs from a wide range of blues, R&B, jazz, country, and Tin Pan Alley sources. The sixth album by this Santa Barbara-based duo features more originals than usual, plus covers of tunes by Brownie McGhee and Merle Travis -- two artists with whom guitarist Sultan has great affinity. Whether doing their own or others' songs, they prefer wry lyrics that offer tongue-in-cheek observations about money, women, luck, and such, making them the unplugged equivalent of Little Charlie & the Nightcats among today's blues acts. This is toe-tapping rather than foot-stomping blues, even on the handful of amplified cuts. © Steve Hoffman /TiVo