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11/1/2003
Ian Zack
Guitarist William Lee Ellis has clearly inherited musical chops from his father, Tony, a banjo- and fiddle-playing alumnus of Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys. But the younger Ellis also has mastered Piedmont- and Delta-style blues picking and is a fine singer and composer, too. On Conqueroo, he combines influences to create an Americana gem that sparkles with blues invention and country soul. "Never Be the Child" sets open-tuned slide guitar against a rockabilly rhythm. "Honey Take Your Time" updates Mississippi John Hurt with Memphis vocal harmony. And the a cappella gospel tune "My Religion Too" (with help from R&B group the Masqueraders) is a timely jeremiad against the dangers of religious extremism. (Yellow Dog, www.yellowdogrecords.com)