Bruce Von Stiers
Todd Sharp is an artist that a lot of folks have never heard of. He has written songs that artists like Juice Newton, Jeff Healy and Fleetwood Mac have recorded. In recent years Todd has been part of Delbert McClinton’s band. Now Todd has struck out on his own with a solo album. This album is titled Walking All The Way. The album was released on the WannaPlay Records label and distributed by Redeye Distribution.
Listening to the album, I was surprised by the songs on it. Most of them were kind of a mix of country, rock and blues music. Todd’s vocals were pretty good and the music was done real well. I didn’t know what to expect from the album, so it was a nice change of pace from the music that usually hits my desk.
Right as Rain is the first song on the album. It has a lot of acoustic guitar in the background and is sort of a ballad.
Walking All The Way To Idaho has a definite country blues flavor to it. The song kind of reminded me of the “That’s My Story” country song .
I Believe in You has a definite Bluesy Rock sound. It make me think of Paul Rogers and Bad Company. The next song, I Remember, conjours up visions of Jackson Browne. Todd’s vocals in this song has the same inflection that a Jackson Browne one might.
Other songs on the album include Here & Now, Till I Get Over You and I Turn to You. Right Down To The Minute is a great bluesy tune that has some great guitar.
Todd had a hand in writing all of the songs on the album. He wrote a few of them by himself. He also had some pretty good musicians backing him up on the album. Lynn Williams did the drums on most of the songs. Also helping out were Kevin McKendree, Steve Bassett and George Hawkins, Jr. Delbert McClinton steps in with some great harmonica licks on Till I Get Over You.
Todd’s music might not appeal to everyone. But it has a good mixture of blues, country and rock. Walking All The Way does a good job of showcasing Todd’s vocal and songwriting talents.
You can hear sample clips from the album on Todd’s web site. It can be found at www.toddsharp.com.