"I make this music in the hopes that I may touch your soul," says Ronnie Earl. "It is not fame that I seek or need." These words explain his low profile and encapsulate the vision of an emotionally driven musician. The statement’s truth rings out in every blistering guitar lick and solo on this predominantly instrumental release. As an authoritative axe slinger, Earl is less concerned with how many notes he plays than with the impact each holds. Like Mike Bloomfield (who he sounds eerily like on "Blues for Otis Rush") his style is lean, hungry, and fiery. Recorded live in the studio, Earl shifts from the traditional gospel of "Mary Don’t You Weep" (with guest vocalists the Silver Leaf Gospel Singers) to a sharp cover of Howlin' Wolf’s "Howlin' for My Darlin'." A mouth-watering unaccompanied showcase appropriately titled "Alone with the Blues" and the Peter Green-styled "Donna," where notes drip like mercury from his fingers, are also highlights. Tough yet expressive and always soulful, this is intensely moving blues from a gifted guitarist whose humility and sincerity are as affecting as his music. --Hal Horowitz