view larger image

To say they don't make them like Pete Mayes anymore is an understatement. The world that gave rise to Mayes and his warmly embracing blend of blues and R&B is gone or vanishing fast. Mayes' new album, "For Pete's Sake", on Antone's Records, is a thick slice of expertly rendered Texas-style blues and R&B. Inspired in part by the classic Houston based Duke/Peacock sides of the '50s and '60s, Mayes mixes jump blues, jazz, a little country. the ubiquitous Texas shuffle, and hot guitar runs into a contagious, danceable sound that has been honed and polished for more than 40 years.