Young dog, blues savior--call him what you will, Gary Clark, Jr. tore up the set on Jimmy Fallon last night with a live performance of "You Can't Catch Me"--still waiting for that one to hit the webs--and this web-only exclusive rendition of "Ain't Messin' Around," complete with brass section in full swing. The two performances showed the expanding range of his sound, from rhythm & blues that gives equal weight to both parts of that equation, right up to mind-searing psych-rock as GCJ reinvents the psychedelic wheel with his exploration of fuzz-pedal tonality. Perhaps longtime okayplayer John Book summed the whole experience up best when he said (paraphrasing Bono) "sounded like he stole from The Beatles and returned it to Chuck Berry." No shots at the redoubtable Andre 3000 but I got to think the makers of this Jimi Hendrix flick are kicking themselves now that GCJ has stepped onto the national stage. Watch below and cop the brand new album Blak & Blu on iTunes now.
