Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble
In Step

THE REVIEW

Three years after the magnificent "Live Alive" with heart-stopping performances of the repertoire from the first three albums, which included impeccable renditions of “Willie The Wimp” and “Superstition” (the latter being a cover of a Stevie Wonder hit), the great studio return is "In Step" (1989): the fourth amazing album by Stevie Ray Vaughan and the complete Double Trouble band.

This record surpasses a million copies sold and grants the artist from Dallas absolute consecration on the international scene: Stevie Ray has become a true "star" with extensive public approval (as mentioned, notoriously unusual for blues) alongside the already acclaimed critical acclaim, reaffirmed by winning another Grammy for "Best Contemporary Blues Recording" for the album in question.

With the usual modesty that distinguishes him, the student becomes the master and gives a modern blues lesson in “Wall Of Denial,” while with the splendid cover of a Buddy Guy song titled “Leave My Girl Alone,” he reminds us that he has remained faithful to the classic blues patterns, without necessarily being forever anchored to them: “Crossfire” and “Tightrope” (which I consider the two best tracks on the album) are there to warn us. In simple terms, even without renouncing his blues roots, Stevie Ray wants to carve out his own space indicating a possible evolution towards that Jazz-Rock otherwise (and impurely, I would add) defined as "Fusion" (of the likes of Metheny, Scofield, Di Meola for instance) into which he seems, quite shamelessly, to venture with the magnificent closing instrumental track of this last studio work recorded in his lifetime: namely “Riviera Paradise.”

A little curiosity: in “Riviera Paradise” Stevie Ray Vaughan uses a Fender Stratocaster which he had named “Lenny” in tribute to his wife from whom he had received it as a gift (compared to the original version, Stevie Ray had replaced the original thin rosewood neck, which was not suitable for his large hands, with a thicker non-Fender maple, apparently given to him by the great Southern guitarist and singer Billy Gibbons of the famous Texas band ZZ TOP). Unlike the more famous “Number One,” “Lenny” is equipped with lighter strings that Stevie Ray Vaughan (whose initials, SRV, are engraved here on the pickguard) plays without a pick to achieve, also through the combination with that neck and the original pickups, a more vibrant yet softer tone, and therefore much more jazzy.

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