~~ Richard Wagamese, Kamloops Music Examiner Ronnie Earl has carried on. He's gone from replacing Duke Robillard in Roomful of Blues to creating a body of guitar work that stands the test of time and brings to light the teachings gleaned from the work and the words of the oldsters. You can't hear this CD without hearing Robert Lockwood Jr., a smidgen of Luther Allison, the embodiment of T-Bone Walker, some Magic Sam and Otis Rush. Then he brings in Kim Wilson from The Fabulous Thunderbirds and Dave Keller to add substantial vocal depth. What results is a stunning display of artistry, feeling and the full palette of blue.
What follows is blues central. Slow burning jams, rollicking country blues, Texas roadhouse smoke and one note laid hard against a solitary drum beat that tells you emphatically that the man knows that soul is all about what you bring to the music not what you truck out of it. His blues are about recovery, survival, God and the love of a good woman and the incredible rush that comes from learning to live in the light after a dire traipse through darkness.Read more
~~Craig Ruskey, The Blindman’s Blues Reviews "12 tracks, 75 minutes. Highly recommended. What’s left that hasn’t previously been said about Ronnie Earl and his abilities as a blues guitarist? His playing could easily reduce a completely sane man to incoherent mumbling within a few short bursts of six-string pyrotechnics, and probably make a certified lunatic sound as lucid as Maya Angelou in the same time span. His vocabulary with a guitar in his hands knows no boundaries, nor does it seem to display any limitations" And...
"The Broadcasters; Dave Limina (keyboards), Jim Mouradian (bass) and Lorne Entress (drums), put everything in place and are spot-on with Ronnie’s entire dynamic range, from faint guitar whispers to searing passages that scream with beauty. Ronnie Earl is truly blessed with talent and we’re just as fortunate to have his artistry to listen to and enjoy. His playing breathes life, it speaks volumes, it moans and groans, but never in a negative sense. For those who still think blues is the music of downtrodden souls with no hope, Earl's work is as honest and uplifting as a Southern Baptist sermon on a Sunday morning. Pure blues guitar mastery!" Read more
~~Mark Gallo, Jazz Review “Recovery Blues” is the centerpiece of the disc. Earl credits the “friends at Wednesday and Saturday meetings” as among his influences. This is a personal song as well as an inspired piece. Again Limina shines. And again, the introspective bridge works effectively, this time serving as a long fade. “Blues For Fathead,” a tribute to David ‘Fathead’ Newman’s simple and efficient saxophone, has a classic organ combo groove with Lorne Entress’ drums and Jim Mouradian’s bass serving, as they do throughout, as essential foundation. Earl sounds like he’s having the time of his life here. “Blues For the South Side” is a tribute to the Windy City and his take on “Ain’t Nobody’s Business” is gorgeously rendered. The closing instrumental, “Pastorale” with its delicate lullaby quality, showcases Earl at his most introspective and expressive. This is why Ronnie Earl matters. This is the work of a master. This latest installment from one of the most important guitarist in any genre of the past quarter century is inspired. Read More
~~ Steve Jones, Illinois Blues “S.O.S.” and “Recovery Blues” are examples of Earl’s seductive charms. These two songs are slow but searing guitar instrumentals featuring Earl at his best with Dave Limina’s Hammond B3 organ harmonizing and testifying nicely along with the guitar. The CD is full of thoughtfulness and restraint, showing the human is greater than the instrument and that music does not have to be excessive to be impressive. Read more ~~Grahm Clarke, Blues Bytes Living in the Light is easily Earl’s most personal album, based on the song selection and the passion and sincerity he brings to each guitar solo.The seven instrumental tracks are diverse and spectacular, featuring Earl’s highly distinctive and original playing as well as his interplay with Limina’s B3 and piano. What has amazed me about Earl’s albums is the fact that the most recent ones have featured nearly eighty minutes of guitar work and there’s never a dull moment. You’re on the edge of your seat waiting for his next solo. Living in the Light will please not only fans of blues and jazz guitar, but music fans in general. This is real soul music of the finest kind. Read more ~~Rev. Keith A. Gordon, About.com Blues Imagine your favorite vintage soul band or artist from the 1960s and '70s, and understand that hearing Living In The Light for the first time is like taking a trip back to a musically hallowed time. The album begins with the gorgeous "Love Love Love," an Earl original sung by the talented Mr. Dave Keller. While Earl embroiders his fluid six-string leads throughout the song, Keller belts out the lyrics with gospel fervor.
About half-way through the song, it breaks down into a slow-burning jam. Led by Dave Limina's ethereal keyboard riffs, Earl picks out a tale of instrumental heartbreak. Keller kicks in with a minute or so left, the song amping back up into a joyous finish as every player chimes in with a glorious din. It's an invigorating eight minutes that flashes by quickly, leaving the listener exhausted but happy. Read more
~~Brian Holland in Modern Guitar "S.O.S." and "River Charles Blues" are superb treats in which Ronnie soars off into blues guitar heaven, with the Broadcasters rhythm section in brilliant, unadulterated support. "Recovery Blues" is a melancholy melody highlighting recovery from alcohol and drug addiction, another topic Ronnie's passionate about. A guitarist known for purity in sound, one that needs no effects, his guitar's straight-to-amp resonance is placid and clean throughout, and totally fitting to the "clean" in body and mind premise of the song.Living In The Light closes contentedly with a beautiful slow blues instrumental, entitled, "Pastorale." Read more
~~Mark S. Tuckerfor the Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange “The 12 cuts here are as alive and kicking as anything he's ever done. The man's overwhelmed to be alive, happy, married, and clean, and every minute of this CD is testament to it. With the usual quartet format, he fills out the disc with long involved solos and interplay—and, whoo-hoo, can that Dave Limina push his Hammond to the edge!” Read more
