Blues music has taken some new shapes in recent years. From the earthy guitars and the equally earthy lyrics of Chuck Berry and the soulful voice of Ray Charles, the genre has become more commercialized and slick, thanks to the music of talented musicians such as Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Johnson and many others. Shane Dwight has continued that tradition, playing in the same style of distorted electric guitars that the bluesmen of the '80s, '90s and early 2000s. But there is something else about him too, a reverence for the old blues of yesterday, a fact that becomes clear in his latest album "Plays the Blues."

The track list reads like an update and homage of blues standards of the past. The opening tune, "Bad News Morning," is a typical blues lament. The narrator complaining of his numerous woes and suggesting that it's all because of "something I've done," though he doesn't specify what that is. "You're Gonna Want Me" is no different with a vanilla story of one man's romantic breakup, and his plea for his baby to come back. But where other artists would stay with the proven formula, Dwight tweaks it, bringing the blues into the modern day. Witness the sexy, sly tribute to a promiscuous and hard to please woman in "Pretty, Young and Mean," or his studio cut "Standing."

While Dwight shines as a guitarist, his real talent is as a showman, and the many live tracks on the album demonstrate that. Listening to him engage in a little call and response with fans on "Pretty, Young and Mean" brings to mind some of the earthier blue, jazz and gospel acts of ages past. Combine that with his killer licks and it's only a matter of time that he's crowned as the heir apparent to Stevie Ray Vaughan, who he resembles closely in terms of musical style. Even with the rock n' roll theatrics, he still makes time to pay tribute to old fathers of the genre, such as Albert King for whom "Ode to Albert" was released.

At $16, "Plays the Blues" is a must have for any blues fan.