Memphis-born blues-rock guitar hero Eric Gales was a teenage prodigy when he debuted in 1991, but he's gained plenty of gravitas over the years with his rough-hewn vocals and a six-string style blending bluesy Southern grease with rock 'n' roll grit. Gales is the kind of artist who can go toe to toe with metal monster Zakk Wylde on "Sleep Climb" and crank out a killer cover of Hendrix's "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" and then turn around and lay down some big, bad Chicago-infused blues licks on a straight-up shuffle like "Layin' Down the Blues".