Marc Benno has been making music for over 40 years, working with musicians like The Doors, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Eric Clapton, Bill Wyman, Rita Coolidge, and Leon Russell. He played guitar on The Doors’ L.A. Woman album, teamed with Russell as the Asylum Choir for a couple of albums (one of which featured Clapton on guitar), and eventually formed a band in the early/mid ’70s called Marc Benno & the Nightcrawlers, which included a young guitarist named Stevie Vaughan. After the Nightcrawlers disbanded, Benno joined Hopkins’ band as second guitarist. By the late ’80s, Benno took a break from the hectic music lifestyle and returned in the mid ’90s, recording several solo albums during that time.

Benno’s latest release, I Got It Bad (Blue Skunk Music) is a rocking Texas blues disc, with ten original songs and solid support from San Antonio’s West Side Horns, drummer George Rains (Jimmie Vaughan, Sir Douglas Quintet), bassist Jack Barber (Sir Douglas Quintet), and keyboardist Sauce Gonzalez (Freddie Fender). Benno wrote all the songs, most of which deal with affairs of the heart, usually a broken one.

Highlights include the opening cut, “Terminal Case of the Blues,” “Texas Oil Driller,” “Torture Me,” “Save Our Love,” “My Baby’s A Gambler,” and the instrumental, “Tip Jar.” Most of these songs have a strong Texas blues feel to them, and Benno’s does a great job on guitar with economical leads and fills. Vocally, he displays more of a warm, vulnerable charm than the traditional blues growl, which suits the songs on this disc very well.

I Got It Bad is a solid set of Texas blues with fine songs and excellent guitar. It’s nice to have Marc Benno back on the scene.