Lefty Williams' 'Snake Oil'

We've yet to see him in person, but listening to the CD, you would never know Lefty Williams was born without a right hand.

Using a prosthetic pick he learned how to make when he was 6, Williams and his band — bassist Ray Dombrowski, keyboardist Jimmy Landry and drummer Steve Saunders — have been on a tour along the east coast since late April promoting their second CD "Snake Oil," which will be released July 8.

They're listed as blues artists, and rightfully so. But they also have qualities of a classic rock jam band, with only two songs less than four minutes — "In the Valley" is almost seven — and reminiscent of the Allman Brothers. And Williams has a voice akin to Kelly Bell's of the Kelly Bell Band — if the Phat Blues singer had grown up in rural Georgia.

With prominent keys, the album manages to stay upbeat even though the darkness of "On the Prowl" and the solemnity of "You Had to Be Right."

If the CD is any indication, you'll want to catch Williams' show at Dr. Unk's June 19 and July 17.

mixer pick: "Salt Stained Moment."