Track Listing

1. Old School
2. Story of My Life
3. I'm Gonna Leave You
4. What She Don't Know
5. I've Been Working
6. Get Busy
7. Let My Guitar Do the Talking
8. It Ain't the Fall That Kills You
9. Little Less Conversation
10. Right Tool for the Job

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #77242 in Music
• Released on: 2004-04-27
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .22 pounds

Amazon.com
Houston-born blues showman Guitar Shorty, who once taught his young brother-in-law Jimi Hendrix a few stage tricks, has been on the scene since 1957, blasting out rocking blues with over-the-top enthusiasm. His recording career, highlighted by a trio of fine Black Top releases in the '90s, has been unfortunately limited, but Watch Your Back might finally put him in the spotlight. Much of the material, except for muscular reworkings of Van Morrison's "I've Been Working" and the recently discofied Elvis hit "A Little Less Conversation," comes from his producer and pianist Jesse Harms, and it effectively showcases Shorty's aggressive approach: a big sound short on subtlety but permeated with passionate vocals and searing guitar work. He simply overpowers the songs with his energy, and you can either go with the flow or get swept aside by its immediacy. The music is uniformly loud and in your face, just as you would expect from such an extroverted entertainer, and, more often than not, its sheer intensity overcomes any musical shortcomings. --Michael Point

Customer Reviews

3 3/4 stars. Gritty electric blues from a grizzled veteran
Born David William Kearney in 1939, Texan Guitar Shorty first recorded in 1957, yet this is only the 6th album for Jimi Hendrix's former brother-in-law (well, he married Hendrix's stepsister).

Kearney's career has had its shares of highs and lows (and sometimes the lows were very low, too), but since he was picked up by JSP in 1990 he has delivered a handful of albums which rank from good to great, and this is one of the best ones.
"Watch Your Back" is a really tough record...Shorty's fiery, fat-toned guitar playing is not unlike Stevie Ray Vaughan's, and he delivers these ten songs with utter conviction. There is nothing here as instantly memorable as the best work of Muddy Waters or Howlin' Wolf, sure, but that's pretty much a given, I suppose, and there are a lot of really good songs here even without an obvious replacement for "Hoochie Coochie Man".

Opening with one of the best ones, the gruff, muscular "Old School", "Watch Your Back" is excellently produced by Shorty's pianist Jesse Harms (formerly of REO Speedwagon). No frills, no gloss and glitter, just forty minutes of rowdy, smouldering blues, and Shorty rips into each blazing song, slow grind or up-tempo boogie, with equal enthusiasm.
Highlights include "I'm Gonna Leave You", an intense slow blues, the gritty swagger of "It Ain't The Fall That Kills You", the funky "What She Don't Know", a tough-as-nails rendition of "A Little Less Conversation", the driving "Let's Get Busy", and "Let My Guitar Do The Talking", a powerful mid-tempo number with a charging Bo Diddley beat.
Fans of so-called "modern electric blues" will want a listen, and those new to David William Kearney can start here.

Guitar Shorty burns!
If you love hard electric blues, this album will blow you away. I'm a guitar player, and listening to "Watch Your Back" is like hearing a living encyclopedia of great blues licks. Guitar Shorty could play circles around guys half his age...get this album!

Awesome Shorty
"Let My Guitar Do the Talking" is a great Guitar Shorty theme; his guitar smokes, chats, laughs a whole lot, and tells a great story of the history of rock & blues. Another great CD by this living legend. His vocals are hit and miss, but you'll buy this one for the guitar and never regret it. I recommend, however, that you skip the combo-sale with Johnny Winter above. It's JW's weakest work; he is sadly fading away. Be sure to check other Winter albums though--in fact, they're all good hard-rocking blues besides this newest one (he never could really sing well, but this one has no energy). If this is your first time to hear about Johnny Winter because you just came here for the Guitar Shorty (can't go wrong with Shorty), then check out Johnny Winter And. That's Rocking.