Rolling Stone (11/14/02, p.91) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...There is no better one-stop way to crusie Vaughan's unfinished road than THE ESSENTIAL..."
Dirty Linen (06-07/03, p.91) - "...This set is a concise and filler-free distillation of Vaughan's most enduring work and it lives up to its title..."
Personnel includes: Stevie Ray Vaughan (vocals, guitar); Reese Wynans (keyboards); Tommy Shannon (bass); Chris Layton (drums).
Recorded between 1980 & 1990. Includes liner notes by Andy Aledort.
All tracks have been digitally remastered.
Like a comet streaking across the sky, the late Stevie Ray Vaughan's time here was snuffed out far too quickly. Although other posthumous compilations have honored his legacy, including a pair of GREATEST HITS collections and a number of live releases, THE ESSENTIAL serves as a lighter alternative to the heftiness of the SRV box set. Vauhan was blessed with a distinct tone and a versatility on guitar that often found him going from bending strings just short of breaking to lightly playing with the delicacy of a baby's touch, often within the same song. This two-CD set does a fine job of representing the late legend's broad range.
Always generous in crediting his myriad of influences, (Double Trouble's name was taken from an Otis Rush song), SRV ended up covering artists ranging from Buddy Guy ("Mary Had A Little Lamb"), Earl King ("Come On [Part III]"), and Hank Ballard ("Look At Little Sister") to Jimi Hendrix ("Little Wing") and close friend Doyle Bramhall ("Change It"). Live, Vaughan's might was equally impressive, and he still astounds with a segment of his breakthrough 1982 Montreux performance ("Rude Mood/Hide Away") along with in-concert versions of "Superstition" and "Voodoo Child [Slight Return]".
