Gary Clark Jr. (2015)

Amazing guitar stud.  His live album from last year was one of my top ten albums of the year.  His full album from 2012, Blak and Blu, is also great, but the live version of his tracks are just so damn good.  So much passion and fire and shredding ear candy.  I love the fact that he can go from molten hot lava guitar domination to a more tender, nimble guitar style at the drop of a hat.  See the transition between "Numb" and "Please Come Home" on Blak and Blu.  Also love that he went to Austin High (LOYAL FOREVER!).  Here is "Numb," just so you can taste the sludge:

I mean, come on!  That is so good!

I saw him when he came to ACL a few years back and was just straight up blown away.  I never got to see Jimi or Stevie turn their guitar into a weapon of blues-flavored rock and roll fury, but I love hearing someone so obviously steeped in their tradition.  His most popular track on Spotify deserves that position, although the live version is even better than the studio track.  Here is "Bright Lights," at the top with over eight million spins.

If you haven't played this guy's music before, you seriously need to go enjoy it.  If you don't like rock, or are scared of good music, at least go listen for the skill the guy has on his instrument.  One more video that I have to add to this, its not his top song on Spotify or anything, (#6 in popularity though), and this isn't the amazing version on the Live album that they've played it on KUTX some recently, but it still shows the amazingness of what he's got going on when he plays "When My Train Pulls In" live.

I can't play jack crap on the guitar - the F chord was more than my fingers could bear.  But I can sure as hell hear when something is transcendentally fantastic.  I've heard that song 40 times by now, but I still just got goosebumps listening to him hammer his solos out.  So good!  Definitely going to see him.  There would have to be someone pretty major opposite his show for me to skip.