Public Radio For Eastern North Carolina 89.3 WTEB New Bern 88.5 WZNB New Bern 91.5 WBJD Atlantic Beach 90.3 WKNS Kinston 88.5 WHYC Swan Quarter 89.9 W210CF Greenville
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

First Watch: Gary Clark Jr., 'Numb'

Gary Clark Jr.
Frank Maddocks
/
Courtesy of the artist
Gary Clark Jr.

In the seven months since Gary Clark, Jr. released his major label debut, Blak and Blu, he's played for the President at the White House with Mick Jagger and blues legend B.B. King, opened for The Rolling Stones and played with Alicia Keys and The Roots. He cleaned up at his home town Austin Music Awards, winning eight awards, including musician and album of the year. If you haven't paid attention to this guy yet, here's a perfect time to play catch up: Clark has a new video for the song "Numb," my favorite track off Blak and Blu.

On "Numb," Gary Clark, Jr. channels the frenzied spirit of Jimi Hendrix. The guitar tone is clawing and gnarly, and his singing style isn't far from how Hendrix sounded when he sang "Voodoo Chile" on Electric Ladyland, one of my favorite albums.

The black and white video tells a familiar tale of the down side of love. There's a brilliant scene that I'm sure is a fantasy for many: hauling an electric guitar, amp and all, out to the side of a road, Clark leans up against a Cadillac Fleetwood, cranks it up and sings the blues. It's a perfect cure for that ailment if I've ever seen one.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

In 1988, a determined Bob Boilen started showing up on NPR's doorstep every day, looking for a way to contribute his skills in music and broadcasting to the network. His persistence paid off, and within a few weeks he was hired, on a temporary basis, to work for All Things Considered. Less than a year later, Boilen was directing the show and continued to do so for the next 18 years.