Boz Scaggs’s career has come full circle. Starting out as a bluesman with the likes of Duane Allman on guitar, Boz moved to the center in the mid-Seventies with the pop and even disco-tinged monster hits of Silk Degrees. He’s touched all the bases ever since, but returned to his roots in American music with 2013’s Memphis, a superb collection of R&B covers, and the deep-South sounds of A Fool to Care two years later. His latest effort, Out of the Blues, completes the trilogy and brings him back to the twangy blues sound upon which he built his reputation.

Touring in support of the new album, Boz and crew arrived at New York’s venerable Town Hall on Wednesday, November 14th. Boz has always been a great performer, blending his unmistakably smooth vocals with a full complement of first-rate musicians. His current band maintains that high standard, with Mike Miller accompanying him on guitar along with a group of multi-instrumentalists on percussions, bass, keyboards, and sax. Boz is also a far better guitarist than even some of his fans recognize, from blues picking to jazzy fills and harmonics that add nuance and texture.

Starting out with “Jojo”, “It’s Over”, and “Georgia”, the band delivered some of the hits the audience had come to hear before moving into the bluesy tunes that are Boz’s current focus. “I recorded with several Texas blues players for my new album,” he said, “and one of them is here with us tonight.” Wearing a white cowboy hat, Doyle Bramhall II joined the party and immediately took things up a notch. “Rock and Stick”, “I’ve Just Got to Know”, “The Feeling is Gone”, and “Radiator 110” were all hard-rocking cuts that sounded fresh in the hands of a tight and talented band.

Returning to his own catalog, “Harbor Lights”, “Look What You’ve Done to Me”, and “Lowdown” led into a set-closing “Lido Shuffle.” No Boz Scaggs show is complete without “Loan Me a Dime”, and Doyle returned for the encore, taking his turn on lead guitar and trading licks with Boz and Miller. Complementing the familiar hits and blues were the encore covers of lively R&B classics such as “Sick and Tired of Fooling Around with You” and “You Can Never Tell” that sent everyone out of Town Hall dancing and literally high-fiving one another.

Boz Scaggs + Doyle Bramhall II – “Sick And Tired Of Fooling Around With You”

[Video: speechino]

Boz closed his current tour the following night in Bensalem, PA, but is scheduled to be back on the road in the spring. Catch him if you can.