Eliana Cargnelutti’s first album for Ruf works hard to find a musical footprint for a guitarist who revels in stretching out stylistically. She mixes rock, funk, blues and boogie, and tries unsuccessfully to be a balladeer.
Producer/guitarist Albert Castiglia glues things together with a bunch of studio veterans, but ultimately the album tries too hard to pour her talent into an existing mould.
She’s best on the funky, autobiographical Why Do I Sing The Blues, Kim Simmonds’ riff-driven Street Corner Talking, the Joan Jett-influenced rocker Show Me and the sparkling guitar wig-out with Castiglia on Eliana’s Boogie.
Cargnelutti switches to dirty-sounding slide on Just For Me, but she struggles to bring anything new to Warren Haynes’ Soulshine, and over-extends herself on AC/DC’s There’s Gonna Be Some Rockin’ and the overwrought ballad I Saw Your Eyes./o:p
