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Album Details

• Artist: Ladell McLin
• Album: Stand Out
• Label: Gigantic
• Year of Release: 2006
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: patchen on 2006-06-28

First off, let's get the tired comparisons out of the way that will continue to haunt Ladell McLin at least for a few more records. Yes, he is a black guitarist with spiritual and trippy similarities to both Hendrixc and Prince. OK. Now, moving on, he is also at least as inspired as those legends, with both vision and chops that set him apart. Born in Chicago and fully steeped in the blues, McLin howls and cries, shouts and whispers, on tunes that always aim for the sky. For the most part, his aim is true. "You can't win a war against your own imagination"he sings on the opener, "Rich Man's Lounge"; he certainly surrenders to his and lets it blow. "Cold in China" and "Universe" are lyrical as well as six-string explorations; air-guitarists will love the title track, and a vicious cover of AC/DC's "TNT." Yes, there are a lot of names to drop in his sound, but not like with say, Lenny Kravitz or U2, where the influences are so blatantly copped you can make a drinking game of deciding where the riffs were pinched. Ladell McLin wears his influences without shame, but is not afraid of announcing that is out to one-up them.

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