Let's get one thing clear; Gary Clark Jr is not the saviour of the blues. That ridiculous label was strapped to his back following a blistering breakout performance at Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival in 2010, even though it ignores some rather important details. Firstly, as a genre Blues is currently in better shape than at any time since the 1960's, with old masters like Robert Cray, Walter Trout and Slowhand releasing cracking albums that more than match the output of talented upstarts like Joe Bonamassa, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Derek Trucks. More importantly, pigeon-holing Clark Jr as blues does the young Texan's stunningly versatile talents a major disservice. For on 'Blak and Blu' – his major label debut album – the hotly tipped cool cat displays a jack of all trades, master of every one eclecticism as he skilfully glides through soulful R&B, stomping Motown, riffed up rock, slick hip hop and sparse delta blues to produce a true artistic statement brimming with wilful individuality and bold intent. With that established, the question isn't how good Gary Clark Jr is (Answer: he's bloody marvellous), but how such markedly contrasting styles fit together without descending into a haphazard mess.
As the buzz around Gary Clark Jr began quite recently you'd be forgiven for thinking he'd arrived out of nowhere, when the 29 year-old guitarist and singer had actually been paying his dues for well over a decade before that show stealing Crossroads moment. Born, bred and baptised in Austin, Texas the young GCJ was mentored by a number of great local players, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's older brother Jimmie, who declared "You either get it or you don't, and even as a 13-year-old, Gary got it." Such was his precociousness that at 17 years of age the Mayor of Texas announced that May3, 2001 was to be Gary Clark Jr day - nearly a decade and three self produced local CD's prior to his supposed arrival in 2010. However, since then his stock has gone supernova, with plaudits raining down from Clapton, Jimmy Page, Alicia Keys and even Barack Obama. Renowned for incredible live performances and having dazzled audiences everywhere he's played – from Coachella to Bonnaroo to Lollapalooza – it's time for Gary Clark Jr to build on the promise of 2011's searing 'Bright Lights EP' and show that the hype is justified.
If he's been feeling any pressure from the heightened expectations surrounding him it doesn't show, as Blak And Blu's chameleonic diversity is the work of a confident, focussed musician determined to follow his own path without pandering to anyone. Thus, the album doesn't launch with a guitar driven firecracker, instead opening with 'Ain't Messin' Round', a rocked up Motown swaggerthon propelled by attention grabbing Stax style horns that cheekily create a fanfare-like entrance for the 'saviour' himself! Those anticipating blues rock workouts might be surprised but they needn't worry, because there's plenty of those to devour. Be it the riff driven steamroller of 'When My Train Pulls In' with it's down n' dirty groove and explosive solos, or the heavily medicated 'Numb', whose slow grinding tempo and roaring Hendrix distortion echo what Robert Johnson would have sounded like if he'd been backed by Nirvana. Then there's 'Travis County', a 50's rock & roll belter that's pure Chuck Berry, with lashings of spirited Jerry Lee Lewis piano topped off by Clark's cooing vocal and jailbird narrative. Not to mention the astonishing 'Bright Lights', where the young maestro takes a Jimmy Reed idea and radically revises it into a hypnotic groove that smokes and sparkles with cool bravado.
Anyone who's seen GCJ live knows what a special guitarist he is, and his fretwork on this album is an absolute joy. It's refreshing to hear a young player with such an instinctive understanding of what a song needs, constructing solos full of memorable phrasings and perfectly judged passages. His impressive skills allow him to keep it simple or let rip, and he picks the right option every time. That's especially evident on the near ten minute mash up of Jimi Hendrix's 'Third Stone From The Sun' with Little Johnny Taylor's blues boogie number 'If You Love Me Like You Say', which also incorporates Indian tabla drums and turntable scratching. As you do. Whilst the seamless melding of those elements epitomises all that's great about Clark Jr, it's the range of his guitar work that steals the show. Understated and funky during the Little Johnny Taylor passage before taking off towards the finale, hitting winning note after note as he sets his fretboard ablaze with an unrelenting outpouring of pure emotion and adrenalin. Simply stunning.
With so much focus on his six string sorcery the beauty of Gary CJ's singing voice is almost overlooked. Possessing a smooth, soulful delivery akin to the mellifluous tones of Robert Cray, he also has enough power and grit to carry the harder numbers when required. But, it's on the album's crooned gems that his voice truly shines. The nu-soul influenced title track samples both Gil Scott Heron and Albert King as Clark's hazy multi tracked vocals sweetly cruise over contemporary urban beats and jazzy instrumental flourishes. He also displays a gorgeous falsetto on 'Please Come Home', an old fashioned plea to a lover that's swaying 50's doo wop with an Al Green sheen. Likewise 'You Saved Me', a slow burning slice of fuzzy, psychedelic pop whose gently seductive vocals recall Prince in his purple prime.
Cynics will undoubtedly question Gary Clark Jr's motives for recording an album that has something for everyone. Some long time fans have even accused the record label of forcing him to create a more commercial crossover sound. In truth, that's complete rubbish. You only have to read a few interviews with GCJ to appreciate his wide ranging tastes, as he discusses his passion for Stevie Ray Vaughan and Elmore James alongside Jimi Hendrix, Michael Jackson The Temptations, Curtis Mayfield and hip hop artists like Wu-Tang Clan. That's right, GC to the J adores hip hop and stylishly delves into contemporary R&B on 'The Life', rapping over the verses before a radio friendly chorus that's out and out pop. Done perfectly, natch. And THAT is the key. There are many 'musicians' who try to be all things to all people, but the lack of authentic feel for what they're doing is easily identifiable and shamelessly transparent. Only genuine love and understanding can produce music as accomplished and sincere as GCJ does.
That said, it does take a while to get to grips with what's initially a rather dizzying listen, and almost feels like an exercise in breaking free from the generic conditioning to which we've grown accustomed. This may be easier for older listeners who can remember a time when radio stations played a whole host of styles without rigidly adhering to dogmatic play lists. In that respect Blak and Blu feels delightfully anachronistic, and as it slowly takes hold you realise that classification and labels are nothing more than meaningless marketing ploys, born of a desperate need to order the abstract for increased consumption. Strip them away and all music is simply an expression of emotion, performed in a variety of different ways. And that's what's holds 'Blak and Blu' together as Gary Clark Jr's diverse songs are bound together by the authentic passion he injects into each and every one, regardless of how he chooses to deliver them.
The reaction to this stylistic mixed bag will be interesting. It's doubtful hip hop fans will appreciate the guitar freak outs, whilst fanatical blues purists are sure to be apoplectic that their saviour has produced an album that strays so far from the hallowed path. The irony being that they'll probably have flogged their copies on Amazon before even hearing the back porch delta holler of album finale 'Next Door Neighbour Blues'. Which may be 'Blak And Blu's' Achilles' heel, for whilst it's steeped in musical history the album is perfect for the here and now, where tracks can be cherry picked from itunes based on personal preference. It will say a lot about Gary Clark Jr's pull as to whether he can inspire people to forgo that trend in order to appreciate a complete body of work that challenges, excites and entertains.
Overall, this is a record that evokes the spirit of the late 60's and early 70's when the likes of Hendrix and Zeppelin recorded whatever the hell they liked, flying in all directions according to wherever their respective muses took them. Think Electric Ladyland, Exile On Main Street and Physical Graffiti. Gary Clark Jr should be cherished as a genuinely fearless young musician who has made the kind of record artists usually create later on in their careers when their audience is established. And he's just getting started! Where he goes from here is anyone's guess and it's unlikely 'Blak and Blu's commercial performance will influence his direction, but how the record label will react if it fails to connect with people could be a more ominous story. Whatever he does next there's no doubt it will be something special, and regardless of sales figures he's clearly going to be tearing up the live scene for many years to come.
'Blak And Blu' is available now on Warner Bros Records.
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As the buzz around Gary Clark Jr began quite recently you'd be forgiven for thinking he'd arrived out of nowhere, when the 29 year-old guitarist and singer had actually been paying his dues for well over a decade before that show stealing Crossroads moment. Born, bred and baptised in Austin, Texas the young GCJ was mentored by a number of great local players, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's older brother Jimmie, who declared "You either get it or you don't, and even as a 13-year-old, Gary got it." Such was his precociousness that at 17 years of age the Mayor of Texas announced that May3, 2001 was to be Gary Clark Jr day - nearly a decade and three self produced local CD's prior to his supposed arrival in 2010. However, since then his stock has gone supernova, with plaudits raining down from Clapton, Jimmy Page, Alicia Keys and even Barack Obama. Renowned for incredible live performances and having dazzled audiences everywhere he's played – from Coachella to Bonnaroo to Lollapalooza – it's time for Gary Clark Jr to build on the promise of 2011's searing 'Bright Lights EP' and show that the hype is justified. 
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