This is Jones’ best album to date. The blues/R&B veteran is in top form — his guitar playing is incisive and efficient, and his singing is terrific. His songwriting, however, is probably the most impressive thing about Love Gotcha. Working with a solid group of sidemen, it seems like everything is within his grasp. A slow Chicago blues like “Old News” simmers admirably, flavored by a perfectly measured guitar solo, while the title track, another Jones’ original, is driving, funky R&B powered by a slick horn arrangement. Jones turns the old Brownie McGhee/Sonny Terry tune “Ride and Roll” into a swinging R&B blockbuster, and he throws down an equally potent interpretation of the classic blues number “Hurtin’ House,” which features a very tasty tenor sax solo from Renato Caranto. No matter how you look at it, this album shapes up as an outstanding project. – Philip Van Vleck