By now, the world ought to know that Mark Selby was the songsmithing genius behind Kenny Wayne Shepherd"s massive hit "Blue on Black." Clearly, someone figured out that there"s probably more where that came from; hence, Selby"s own debut, on the venerable Vanguard label. Indeed, this album contains all the necessary ingredients: blues-rock riffs chock-full of crunchy goodness; workmanlike lyrics with just enough wit to be clever, but not so much as to sound pretentious; and a backing band that sounds as if they"re having the time of their lives. If there"s a failing here, it"s that the album is occasionally a little too glib, and when Selby tries on a ballad or a bit of acoustic blues, it doesn"t quite come through. When he rocks out, though, he"s capable of transporting the listener to a sweaty blues bar at 2 a.m., full of hard-core partyers making a mockery of last call. Selby"s greatest asset is that he has the same unpretentious charm that"s made Tommy Castro so well-known. May it serve Selby equally well, if only because the world does need more songs like "Kink in the Chain" and "Smoked." --Genevieve Williams