The first definition of virtuoso in The Merriam–Webster Dictionary lists "an experimenter or investigator, especially in the arts and sciences: a savant." It is not until the third interpretation of the word that the dictionary indicates “one who excels in the technique of an art; especially: a highly skilled musical performer.”
While the latter is apt, the initial descriptor more precisely defines Ronnie Earl. In Earl’s case, however, experimentation has little to do with augmenting the sound of the electric guitar and everything to do with searching within the depths of the instrument for soul. That epic quest for the soul of the blues continues for Earl with his April 9 release, Just for Today, streaming on CBC Music now until April 16.
AUDIOListen to Ronnie Earl’s Just for Today, streaming until April 16, 2013.
If blues is a musical expression of hard times, presented in a joyful way, then Earl is the epitome of a blues artist. Hard times have dragged him through medical, psychological and substance abuse troubles throughout a career verging on 40 years.
Coming to terms with his demons has left Earl reluctant to venture too far from his New England home for almost a decade. It is only in the last year that he has begun again to play gigs beyond the Boston area.
Earl is continually investigating ways of expressing the human condition through the blues. The astounding thing about his work is that it rarely involves lyrics; along with his remarkably intuitive band, the Broadcasters, Earl opts for the uninhibited instrumental medium.
When the likes of B.B. King calls Earl “one of the most serious blues guitar players you’ll find today,” you know you are listening to a virtuoso.
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