John Earl Walker had never performed in Europe prior to this year’s Burghausen Jazz Festival, but he apparently made quite an impression when he did, judging from the enthusiastic reception he receives from the audience on his latest disc, Live In Germany (Walkright Records). Walker, who has been playing since the mid '60s and was part of the '70s group, Plum Nelly, plays a vigorous brand of blues/rock with clever songwriting and a top notch band in support, which seemed to be what the doctor ordered for his audience in this case.

Walker’s previous recordings have received a lot of airplay overseas as well as on the internet, so fans will find a lot to enjoy on this set, which includes 11 songs from the band’s previous CDs. Most of them come from Walker’s latest release, Come Over Here, which was released last year and was the band’s strongest effort to date.

Walker plays some fantastic guitar throughout, particularly on tracks like “I’m Leavin’ You,” “Tess’s Shuffle,” “The World’s A Prison,” “Airport Blues,” and “Nightwalker,” which has to be one of the coolest instrumentals of all time. His guitar playing is, of course, rock-influenced, but he can get down and dirty with the blues with ease. His songwriting is first-rate, with clever twists and turns that elevates the material from the standard blues fare, such as “Backdoor Romance, “Airport Blues,” and “Poor Boy Blues.”

Lending Walker a hand are longtime bandmates Peter Harris (bass), Slinky Temelo (guitar), and a couple of new members – Frank Diorio (drums) and the appropriately-named Tommy Key (piano).

This set should really please fans of the band, as it is basically a “greatest hits” collection since it features most of the band’s standout tunes on one CD. For fans of guitar-driven blues/rock (is there any other kind of blues/rock?) unfamiliar with the John Earl Walker Band, it’s a great starting point. Check out the band’s website and their MySpace site.