Jeff Kaley
DUNCAN — With a new album about to be released, a growing reputation as one of the compelling forces in American blues and roots music, and a fresh tan, it’s good to be Seth Walker these days.
Since arriving in Austin, Texas, nearly 15 years ago, Walker has been taking the best of American music forms and turning them into what he describes as “a different point of blue” music that’s a splendid mix of blues, soul and Americana.
Seth Walker appears at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Simmons Center, where blues and music fans can experience Walker’s grasp of the emotions, power and simplicity of blues and roots music. Those attending the fifth concert in the 2008-09 Live From the Center series, sponsored by the Chisholm Trail Arts Council, will discover it’s a style that’s made Walker a favorite among artists who already hold a place in the pantheon of blues and Americana.
“Seth Walker swings, rocks, boogies and plays low down blues all in one set, all on one record,” said blues diva Marcia Ball. “He’s a great singer and authentic performer of real American music, and he’s writing new classics.”
Clifford Antone, whose club is holy ground in Austin’s music scene, said the North Carolina native has been able to cut a singular place in the Texas capital.
“Seth Walker is one of Austin’s most talented guitar players, which is really saying something in this town,” Antone noted. “A great singer and songwriter, Seth is one of the guys that keeps Austin the best city in the world for live music.”
The product of a musical family, Walker left North Carolina and paid some dues with stops in New Orleans and Memphis before being unable to resist the lure of Austin. Once there, he quickly began building a reputation by opening for blues icons such as Ray Charles, B.B. King, Robert Cray, Jimmie Vaughan and Aaron Neville.
Since taking residence in Austin, Walker’s produced five albums that stand out in a blues world some say lacks imagination and new material these days.
As evidenced by the 2007 release of the critically-acclaimed “Seth Walker” album, Walker and his band pay homage to blues founding fathers such as Jimmy Reed and T-Bone Walker, and then give a nod to contemporary songwriters like Tom Waits and Dave Bartholomew. But they also unveil Walker’s compositions, a sound that deftly blends New Orleans and Kansas City jump blues, Texas blues and a large dose of originality.
Another sample of Walker’s gift will hit CD racks on March 3, with the release of “Leap of Faith.” It’s already being lauded as a mix of fresh music, hot songs and passion, played with Walker’s signature guitar work, which stresses chops instead of volume to express his “point of blue.”
Produced in Nashville by Grammy-winning producer and songwriter Gary Nicholson, “Leap of Faith,” Walker’s second release on Hyena Records, is the first CD the 35-year-old has recorded outside Austin.
“Previously, I had always recorded albums my way, on my turf,” Walker said.
“This album was different from the get-go due to the fact that we recorded it in Nashville, with a new team of musicians, a new engineer and a new feeling.
“I was out of my comfort zone, and it made me reach for something unknown to me. This album was made during a time in my life when I was caught up in some shadows. The idea of a leap of faith actually does reflect where I was at personally, and making this record was the light for me.”
With a new album getting rave pre-release reviews that enhance and expand the space he’s filling in blues and Americana music, Walker is on a roll.
And, oh, about that fresh tan.
Preparing for Saturday’s visit to Duncan, the tan is the reward Walker earned while spending late January on a cruise ship touring the Pacific, where he and Texas music legend Delbert McClinton were featured entertainers.
Yeah, it’s good to be Seth Walker these days.
