Jimmy Thackery’s reputation as one of the hottest blues/rock guitarists on the scene was firmly established back in the eighties when he was the front man for the popular blue collar band the Nighthhawks. Now he is the signature artist for the prestigious Blind Pig label with this, his seventh release in the past eight years. "Sinner Street" shows Thackery to be at the top of his game. He is back with his musical partner, the drummer Mark Stutso, along with a new bass man named Ken Faltinson. The Drivers have always been a three piece band, however this time around they have enhanced their sound by adding saxophonist Jimmy Carpenter to the mix. Once again Jim Gaines, who works best with the blues/rock sound, is the producer.

Ten of the eleven cuts on "Sinner Street" were either written or co-written by Thackery. The exception being a tune by John Cook called "Detriot Iron." The disc’s first two songs called "Grab The Rafters" and "Bad News" have a catchy sing along chorus that probably works best before a live audience. Another tune called "Million Dollar Bill" is pure balls-out screaming rock. Then there’s another number called "Hundreds Into Ones" which is as close as the Drivers will come to a jump blues sound.

Thackery’s lead guitar shares the spotlight throughout with Carpenter’s power sax. This is especially true on the hard driving instrumental title song. The reality is that this disc rocks from start to almost finish. The only pure blues tune to be found is the closing number called "Blues ‘Fore Dawn." It is a truly mellow ending to a high powered set of music.

There was a time during the early eighties when the leading blues/rockers on the circuit were people like Johnny Winter, Roy Buchanan, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Now those names have been replaced by people like Jimmy Thackery, Coco Montoya, and Tinsley Ellis. Thackery, along with the other names mentioned, have been extremely influencial on a new generation of blues/rockers such as Jonny Lang, Josh Smith, Mike Welch, and Kenny Wayne Shepard to name a few. If there’s a target audience for blues/rock it’s working class people who go out on Friday nights looking for a place with cold beer, a level pool table, and good live music. Give these people Jimmy Thackery and they’ll be happy every time.

***1/2