Terry Robb is a guitar virtuoso. Although tending toward preservationist sounds at times, his newest album Resting Place spotlights Robb’s acoustic blues prowess. Using crystal clear production courtesy of legendary Sun Records engineer Roland Janes, Robb infuses complex instrumentals into the rather limited terrain of country blues, creating a bouquet of style firmly rooted in tradition with restrained but compelling flowerings of jazz fusion.

From his early days collaborating with John Fahey to later gigs with performers like Buddy Guy and Steve Miller, Robb’s technical skill has distinguished him as first chair cum laude in the guitar pickers’ chorus. His name repeatedly stamped on the Cascade Blues Association’s “Muddy Award,” Robb has been named to the association’s Hall of Fame for both acoustic and electric guitar. He runs the Northwest School of Acoustic Guitar, regularly teaches workshops at festivals like the Port Townsend Country Blues Festival, and has played with the Oregon Symphony. In short, Robb dominates the Pacific Northwest blues scene.

So what’s a man in search of a challenge to do?
a.) Change labels, visit Memphis, and cut a record at Sam Phillips’ Recording Studio
b.) Arrange to play with pros Willie Hall on drums, Charlie Wood on piano, and North Mississippi Allstar Paul Taylor on bass
c.) Bar hop and gorge on fried foods in the once-neglected, now “consumable” Beale Street area
If you answered c, I’ve an “all access” wristband and huge free t-shirt for you.

This album opens with a couple standard blues tunes, the type where a listener intuitively knows what’s coming even if he’s never heard Big Boy Crudup’s “My Baby Left Me” or the Robb original “My Mind is Trying to Leave Me.” That predictability on some tracks would be a small knock. Another knock: Robb’s voice is good, but not gratifying when it comes to singing these themes. “Louise,” a traditional woman doin’ me wrong, just doesn’t quite make it to the soul level vocally. As extraordinary as Robb’s guitar playing is, his voice can’t pierce the callous made so thick by the heavy-hearted blues gods of the past.

The instrumental tracks on this album are stellar, however. No doubt about that. Robb never hits an off note, never a buzz, never a lag, and he never ostentatiously drags the tunes out either. Title track “Resting Place” shows Robb’s ability to step outside the blues genre in complexity while keeping the blues undercurrent. The song is a touch of acoustic jazz, the steady bass thumb-picking keeping time behind melodic movements. Likewise, the Fahey tune “Joe Kirby Blues” alternates beautiful minor key resignations with ebbing resolution. “Cassie” stays in the melancholic vein, as well. “Hesitation Blues” moves with pluck and in apparent appreciation of ragtime vitality. Finally, the Booker T & the MG’s “My Sweet Potato” is a snappy interpretation, more R&B than straight blues, and a nice wink to the Memphis icons of groove. Certainly, it is on these instrumentals where Robb’s talent, knowledge, and mastery truly shine by compelling the ear to appreciate and envision. The album deserves huge accolade on those grounds.