Hotshot guitar slinger Teddy Morgan quit high school in his junior year to join soulful Twin Cities blues-rock act the Lamont Cranston Band a decade ago. Subsequent work backing James Harman and R.J. Mischo led to two outings under his own name for Antone’s/Discovery in ’94 and ’96.
Straight from jump street, the transplanted Austinite was graced with a stunning arsenal of classic six-string attacks poured through vintage amp sounds. He’s obviously worked overtime to hone his songwriting craft to merge in the ether with the essential, potliquor kick of his axe ‘n’ attitude.
Lost Love And Highways finds Morgan’s group retooled to a lean ‘n’ mean trio, with frostback bassist John Penner and killer tub-thumper Chris Hunter (Marcia Ball, C.C. Adcock) firing out like green-lighted dragsters. Bo Ramsey’s brutally crisp production and atmospheric guitar overlays help drive this bad boy home; apart from the tepid intermission of “One More Night” at the midpoint, this dawg rocks and/or rolls with a vengeance from pillar to post.
Detroit blues/R&B legend Lazy Lester sings and blows harp on the skunky-funk of “Word About A Woman”, but the rest of the tracks are penned by Morgan, either alone or with help from Hunter and/or Ramsey. “Bullet From A Gun” is a hyperkinetic bayou two-step; “I Ain’t Waitin’ No More” and the raunchy bump ‘n’ grind of “Should Be Gone” evoke Mick Taylor-era Rolling Stones; and “Nothing To Go Back To”, “Walk Away Cryin’” and the big-guitar title track would serve the next Steve Earle opus admirably. “’59 Cadillac” and “Wish You Were Mine” dial up Chuck Berry’s frenzied highway sound, and no motor could ever cool down after the needle-burying blowout of “Run Down Shacks”.
