After 40 years and 19 albums, Atlanta-based blues-rocker Tinsley Ellis proves he’s not done yet on Red Clay Soul—an album named after a substance commonly found on embankments in Georgia. The egotistical yet hilarious opener, “All I Think About” (“Well, I ain’t much / But I’m all I think about”) and the melodic, laid-back instrumental “Estero Noche” should convince listeners Ellis is the real deal. If not, there’s “Givin’ You Up,” a tight rocker that evolves into a long jam without losing its groove, which Ellis wrote a decade ago with Oliver Wood from the folk trio The Wood Brothers. Red Clay Soul is the fourth album Ellis has released on his own Heartfixer Music label, which he created in order to retain more control of his material—because, as he says, “I’ve been passed around like a joint from label to label.” That kind of dry wit and dedication to craft is clearly evident on these 10 songs.
Tinsley Ellis will perform at Centennial Park in Grafton on July 2 at 8 p.m.
