Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat Gazette
Sunday, March, 14, 2004

B+

Michael Shipp Xcursion
The Adventures of Roosterboy (Tiffer)

Billy Bob Thornton's buddy and longtime musical collaborator Michael Shipp--he toured with BBT in the ZZ Top tribute band Tres Hombres in the '80s as well as on the actor-musician's Private Radio tour--has produced a  sonically intriguing solo album. Taken together the songs form a loose cycle about the wandering of a down-and-out good ole boy from Arkansas who seems, to quote Sonny Terry, "lost in the blues." While there are times when Shipp's vocal aspirations outstrip the capacity of his smoky, gritty instrument--he's a terrific nonsinger in the J.J. Cale mode, but his melodies sometimes get ambitious--Shipp is a consistently interesting guitarist in the Billy Gibbons/T-Bone Walker mode. He doesn't overplay, and the overall effect is nostalgic and novel--it sounds like a great lost record by a particularly thoughtful Southern bar rocker. Which maybe it is, it's just coming to the surface now.  In any case, Blue Malibu and the hidden bonus track stack up nicely.  The disc can be bought directly from his Web site at www.michaelrshipp.com.