Shuggie Otis At The Highline Ballroom – Concert Review

Now, in 2013, Sony Records is gearing up to release a deluxe version of Inspiration Information, filled out with bonus tracks and an entire new album on a second disc. And Shuggie Otis is back. He’s launched his first-ever full-scale world tour, and on January 10th, he headlined a Summerstage preview show at the Highline Ballroom.

He plays guitar like Prince’s long-lost fairy godfather, caressing and rolling and bubbling and screaming. Wide-open runs melting into spirals of psychedelia and storms of rapid-fire fretwork. It’s like watching a bluesier Freddie Stone, a more flowing Eddie Hazel, the missing link between Hendrix’s lyricism and Vernon Reid’s technical skill. As a guitarist, he’s not only a virtuoso – he’s also a storyteller.

It was an amazing show, a triumphant return from a long-lost master. And yes, he played ‘Strawberry Letter 23′ as the encore. And yes, it was everything you could hope for.

Read more at Depth of Field Magazine.