Arguably the finest blues guitarist of his generation, Wisconsin-born Stevie Ray Vaughan initially learnt his chops on his brother--and Fabulous Thunderbirds' mainstay--Jimmie's hand-me-down guitars whilst glued to the works of Albert King and Lonnie Mack. After honing his skills in the late 70s with a variety of lacklustre combos, he was headhunted by David Bowie for 1983's Let's Dance tour, but left early to concentrate on his solo work. On this, his third album, Vaughan's virtuosity is both augmented and accentuated by Double Trouble, a backing band of rare competence, finally allowed to shine after having played a singularly supportive role to Stevie on earlier efforts. From the throbbing mid-tempo blues grooves of "Say What", through the barroom shuffle of "Look At Little Sister" to the head-spinning, flying-finger dexterity of "Empty Arms", Soul To Soul stands as a fitting epitaph to a true master of the blues. --Ian Fortnam