Buddy Guy,”Feels Like Rain”,<i> Silvertone</i>

Most blues musicians need the spark of energy from a live audience to bring out their best. B.B. King’s legendary “Live at the Regal” album is testament to the symbiotic relationship between a performer and crowd that can produce a truly magical performance. Guitarist-singer Buddy Guy may just be the exception to the rule: He seems to be better off in the isolated confines of a recording studio. His latest, “Feels Like Rain,” shows why. In concert, Guy can’t resist over-the-top theatrics that are guaranteed to whip an audience into a frenzy. But his music sometimes takes a back seat to his show-boating. Here, all effort is directed to the songs, and Guy sounds magnificent. Plus, unlike in concert, he actually finishes every song. It’s his R&B-soul; side that’s most often on display, in covers ranging from Marvin Gaye’s “Trouble Man,” which he handles with the requisite gossamer falsetto, to John Fogerty’s swampy “Change in the Weather,” a duet with country bad boy Travis Tritt. John Hiatt’s title track shows Guy’s plaintive side, with a smidgen of oh-so-sweet vocal help from guest Bonnie Raitt. Elsewhere, he taps a sad-from-the-soles-up quality reminiscent of Clarence Carter and Brook Benton. His guitar work also remains skillfully reined in: And as everyone knows, it’s far more rewarding to watch a thoroughbred that sticks to the race track than one that careens wildly through the parking lot.