Tomorrow

If you like Duke Robillard, there’s a chance you’ll be interested in Andy Poxon. Robillard is a giant to blues and jazz guitar fans, and he produced Tomorrow, Poxon’s second album for EllerSoul Records. Robillard also passes the torch on the album’s last cut, a blues jam with the young Poxon that singes and stings with the razor-sharp licks the two men lay down. There’s a traditional rock ’n’ roll sound here, kicked off with the album’s opener, “Too Bad,” a song that could make a casual listener think it was written in 1959. Poxon’s first album showed him to be a boy possessed of rather stunning guitar chops, especially for one so young. This sophomore album is less blues-based, and that’s disappointing, though the wizardry of his skills is apparent. And it’s growing. He’s only 18, after all, and as Robillard says in his liner notes, “to say Andy has a bright future is an understatement.” But, those of us who ain’t 18 will have to wait a bit for this talented guitarist’s sensibility to catch up with his skills. The album is Justin Bieber with a little more heart and a lot more soul, but it’s still an album for adolescents, if they’ve got a bit of a retro streak.