"Dangerous Cool" has the feel of Howlin' Wolf's "Who's Been Talking," with keyboardist Tom Giblin, late of Lonnie Brooks band, upping the soul factor via B-3 fills. Janey takes some chances with his ripping solo here, leaving in some deep edges and showing a lot of heart. On "Drinkin' Dirty Water," he digs in with an Albert Collins tone icy enough to send shivers up your spine. Fleet-fingered and smart, he solos in bursts of gritty riffs, some familiar, and some fresh.

Other pleasures include "Stop the Rain," in which the elder Janey's flavorful rhythm guitar rolls around like a first sip of smooth whiskey on the tongue. It's a well written blue soul tune, though it must be said that the lyrics on "Bare Wire" don't quite match the high caliber of the playing and production; they lean toward overly familiar themes that modern writers should transcend. Adding an expert lyricist to the mix would elevate this material from very good to great. All the other elements that could make Bryce Janey a major blues star are in place.

Jeff Calvin

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