I'm Ready

iTunes Review

This former child prodigy, who played Hammond organ on The Ed Sullivan Show at age six and cut his teeth touring with Bobby Bland and Little Milton, had already switched to guitar and become a star in his own right when he made I'm Ready in 1992. Peterson's virtuosity on both instruments is unquestionable and provides the best moments on this otherwise lukewarm set of blues-rock. The instrumental "Junk Yard" is especially potent, with Peterson working his B-3's drawbars to squeeze every emotional nuance out of the instrument's floating tones. He also delivers some biting guitar on "Don't Cloud Up On Me," and gets winning support from the Uptown Horns joined by sax legend Illinois Jacquet. But this is a transitional disc. Peterson would really find his own edgy, urban, socially conscious style of blues with 2003's visceral Black Midnight Sun.