Portland guitarist Terry Robb didn't quite spring full-grown from the Pacific Northwest blues scene, though one would be forgiven for thinking he did, since session players are typically famous only within the industry. Robb cut his teeth as a session man and producer for such Northwestern luminaries as John Fahey and Curtis Salgado. He also has an academic musical background.

A person can have all those things and still be, at best, a workaday musician. What sets Robb apart is his affection for and deep knowledge of blues music. Whether tinged with the sounds of the Delta, Memphis, California, or other regions, the songs on Resting Place are blues at their heart -- not just the covers, like Big Boy Crudup's "My Baby Left Me" or Fahey's "Joe Kirby Blues," but Robb's own material. The title track features tasty slide guitar and, thanks to an excellent Memphis-recruited backing band, a summertime groove solid enough to serve drinks on.

The sound is mostly traditional, with simple, fresh arrangements that showcase Robb's guitar skill. Whether sliding or fingerpicking, his technique is clean and articulate; no matter how busy the material gets (and on an album that's about half instrumentals, there's plenty of room for that), it never sounds crowded or overblown. You could almost imagine Robb as a classical guitarist; the soft sound of his acoustic guitar contributes to that impression, as does his remarkable precision. Still, that doesn't rob Resting Place of its energy or spontaneity. It's an unassuming but accomplished piece of work, and another feather in the cap of Pacific Northwest blues.