Drink Small

What stands out most about Drink Small is not merely the range of styles he commands, but the assurance with which he inhabits each one. Tracks on his albums can pivot without warning from lone acoustic blues guitar to a polished soul number backed by horns and then onward to yet another unexpected direction, yet nothing in his delivery ever feels misplaced. He moves effortlessly among a gruff, raw delivery, a sleek contemporary tone, and a buoyant, playful approach, reshaping both his vocals and guitar work to match the desired atmosphere. Already recognized as one of America’s leading gospel guitarists, the South Carolina “Blues Doctor” shifted his focus to blues in the late ’50s, though for a long time the only commercial release available was a lone 45 issued on Sharp in 1959. Only in more recent years has his catalog begun to expand substantially, bringing fuller attention to the scope of his abilities as both songwriter and performer.