Guitar duo carries on for Vaughan

When Stevie Ray Vaughan died in an early-morning helicopter crash in August 1990, the world lost perhaps the only white blues guitarist (with the possible exceptions of Eric Clapton and Duane Allman) who has been able to channel the blues as well as the African-American bluesmen Vaughan worshiped so much.\nSince then, blues fans have been waiting for someone to fill the vacancy left by Vaughan, waiting for a guy who can prove that white boys can really and truly play the blues — and become famous doing it. Occasionally there are pretenders to the throne, like so-called wunderkind Jonny Lang, but such wannabes always leave something to be desired.\nOf course, much of Vaughan's power and passion was drawn from Double Trouble, his dedicated back-up band. Bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Chris Layton (and later keyboardist Reese Wynans) helped fuel Vaughan's fire and catapult the late guitarist onto the world stage. And now, they're providing support for two more white bluesman, guitarists Tab Benoit and Jimmy Thackery.\nWith Shannon, Layton and Wynans chugging along behind them, Benoit and Thackery -- both of who have released solo albums for the Telarc label -- have produced Whiskey Store, an 11-track effort that builds on the century-old blues tradition by mixing Benoit's Cajun-flavored stylings with Thackery's Buddy Guy-inspired approach.\nThe result is both commendable and heartfelt, but certainly not stellar. The disc ranges from uptempo foot-stompers like "I Ain't Broke" to slow-burning slices of emotion like the album's title cut. "Away, Away Too Long" offers a taste of country honk, while harp virtuoso Charlie Musselwhite provides soulful accompaniment on "Strange Things Happen." The duo also runs through competent covers of Neil Young's "Unknown Legend," Dylan's "Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat" and the Stones' "The Last Time." \nWhile the album consists of some of the best blues you'll find on the market today, it falls short of the standard set by Vaughan -- and, for that matter, by Muddy Waters, Elmore James and Slim Harpo, among others. Benoit and Thackery show promise. The question now is, will that promise continue to blossom?