Showing posts with label Mike Zito. Show all posts

Friday, July 13, 2018

Ruf Records artist: Jeremiah Johnson - Straitjacket - New Release review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Straitjacket, from Jeremiah Johnson and it's quite good. Opening with title track, Straitjacket, Jeremiah Johnson has a hot one on his hands. With a driving beat, a rolling bass line by Tom Maloney, Benet Schaeffer on drums Frank Bauer on sax and Mike Zito on rhythm guitar, Johnson on guitar and lead vocal this is a solid opener. Blues fused but with a great R&B style back beat, Getting Tired is one of my favorites on the release with a hot sax/bass lead and strong guitar fronting. another really cool track is Blues In Her Eyes with a great melody, solid vocals and crisp guitar lead. Rock and roller, Keep on Sailing has a strong boogie underpinning and slick slide work by Zito. Slow blues number, King & Queen, has some of the best vocals by Johnson on the release and an extended guitar solo on this 6 plus minute track is gold. Excellent! Zito move upfront on 9th and Russell, a slower country rocker with powerful guitar riffs and vocal duet. Sax dominant instrumental, Bonneville has a definite 60's soundtrack feel and with bent guitar soloing, a real cool flair! Wrapping the release is Rock N Roll Music To The World written buy one of my all time favorite players, Alvin Lee and a great rocker it is. With Johnson and Bauer on lead vocal and solid rock n roll style guitar work by Johnson and Zito, this is an excellent closer for the release.

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Thursday, July 12, 2018

Ruf Records artist: Vanja Sky - Bad Penny - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release (August 17, 2018), Bad Penny from Vanja Sky and it's a pop rocker with zip. Opening with title track, Bad Penny, Vanja Sky wastes no time in demonstrating her no prisoners attitude with a swaggering track that could easily be from the Lynyrd Skynyrd songbook. Leading the band on guitar and vocal Sky is backed by Mike Zito on guitar, Terry Day on bass, Matthew Johnson on drums and Lewis Stephens on keys. Low Down And Dirty is my favorite track on the release with what to me sounds like Mike Zito on vocal and slide guitar. This track has a gritty two step feel with cool guitar lead and vocals by Sky making this track hot hot hot! All Night has a poppy/rock feel with firm rhythm guitar and polished vocals by Sky. Ballad, Inside Pain has a smooth Mark Knopfler guitar feel and a solid radio melody. Another of my favorites is Give Me Back My Soul with a great SRV /Texas lope with Dave Smith on bass and Yonrico Scott on drums. Very cool. Pop rocker, Do You Wanna has great attitude with a rock and roll rhythm, stinging guitar riffs and a Joan Jett feel. Another track with a rowdy feel is Don't Forget To Rock n Roll, with melodic guitar lead and Patty Smith like vocal attitude. Wrapping the release is a southern based, Crossroads of Life with understated slide guitar and an anthem feel. This is a solid closer for a cool release.

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Friday, June 1, 2018

Ruf Records artist: Mike Zito - First Class Life - New release review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, First Class Life, by Mike Zito and I really like it. This is an excellent follow-up to Zito's 2017 release, Make Blues Not War that I reviewed last year and I think that he's on a great run! Opening with Mississippi Nights, a country blues flavored rocker, Zito leads on guitar and vocals, backed by Lewis Stephens on keys, Matthew Johnson on drums and Terry Dry on bass. Winding his slide out he really gets it cranking. What an opener! Title track, First Class Life not only has great style and feel, it has a real story and excellent slide work making it one of the top tracks on the release (and a super radio track to boot). Slower blues ballad, The World We Live In, has a strong melody and Zito's vocals are spot on. His guitar work, in response to his lead vocal is nicely punctuated. With the country funk of a Dickey Betts composition, Mama Don't Like No Wah Wah, has a real moving groove with Zito, joined by Bernard Allison hitting the ground running on blues riffs with tight support from Johnson. Old Black Graveyard is nicely phrased with a dark underbelly and fat, razor like slide slashes on guitar. Excellent! Back Problems has the looseness of Elvin Bishop with the drive of David Bowie and the humor and greasy sound of Mike Zito. Very nice. Slow blues, Damn Shame, has just the right tempo, giving Zito the opportunity to let the dog way out and his guitar phrasing is excellent! With tight reinforcement by Stephens, Johnson and Dry, this track is super. Wrapping the release is shuffle track Trying To Make A Living with a driving beat, hot piano riffs and country flavored, stinging guitar solos. You have probably gathered by now that I think quite highly of this release and look forward to seeing Zito in the near future.

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Friday, May 25, 2018

Hunter Records artist: J.T. Lauritsen & The Buckshot Hunters - Blue Eyed Soul Volume I - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Blue Eyed Soul Volume I, by J.T. Lauritsen & The Buckshot Hunters and it's very cool. Opening with R&B track, Anything I Can Do, J.T. shows just how smooth he can be on lead vocal backed by Ian Frederick Johannessen and Arnfinn Torrisen on rhythm guitar, Morten Nordskaug on bass, John Grimsby on drums, Paul Wagnburg on B3 Jens Petter Antonsen on trumpet and trombone and a nice guitar intro by Dave Fields. Stay With Me All The Time is a classic with a super melody and really nice balance. On Allen Toussaint's Nothing Takes The Place Of You, J.T. really shines with his soulful lead vocal with Borge-Are S. Halvorsen on sax, Deanna Bogart on backing vocals and nice solo guitar work by Mike Zito. Excellent! Funky blues number, You Got Me Down has a great bass line compliments Nordskaug and the clean cowbell work of Grimsby is not at all lost. Guitar solos by Johannessen and Torrisen give the track that stinging edge but this track is all J.T. and his vocal. Very nice. Wrapping the release is a Mike Zito ballad, Sweet On Me, with a country blues feel. Vocal blending between J.T. and Nordskaug are tight, the accordion work of J.T. is soothing and unexpected and the sweet sax work of Jimmy Carpenter closes this solid release.

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Friday, April 20, 2018

Freddie Pate - I Got The Blues - New Release review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, I Got The Blues, from Freddie Pate and it's quite cool. Opening with Willie Dixonesque, Let the Juke Joint Jump, Pate on lead vocal and guitar has a flashy, yet stylistic guitar style and just enough raggedness to his vocals to give it edge. Backed by Terry Dry on bass, Matt Johnson on drums, Lewis Stephens on keys and Mike Zito on rhythm guitar, this is a cool opener. On Elmore James, Sho-nuff I Do, Pate really belts out the blues and with grinding tone, tells it with his guitar. Stephens' piano work dances above the solid bottom of Dry and Johnson giving this track an authentic feel. Hank William's Hey Good Lookin' gets a 60's rock (Watusi) make over and I really like it. Alan Toussaint's Nothin Takes The Place Of You has a strong soulful delivery and exhibit's Pate's best vocals on the release. 12 bar number, and title track, I Got The Blues has a strong roll and Elmore James like guitar swagger. R&B track, My Josephine is built on a standard bass riff, answered by stinging guitar riffs. Willie Dixon's My Babe has just a touch of new Orleans back beat mixed in giving it that cool cache and Pate's guitar soloing compliments it nicely. Jolie Blond maintains a lot of it's Cajun origins including language. A rocking beat and driving guitar riffs give it additional spunk. Wrapping the release is shuffle track, Beer Drinkin Dog, a clever track that you would expect from Elvin Bishop. Well balanced between lyrics and guitar riffs, this is a cool closer for a cool release.

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Friday, April 6, 2018

NEW RELEASE RUF 1253: Mike Zito - First Class Life

Mike Zito
First Class

Blues-rock is a tightrope – and Mike Zito has never lost his footing. At times in his storied two-decade career, the Texas bandleader has rolled up the amps and rocked as hard as anyone. Yet his lifelong fascination with the blues has always reeled him back in. And now, having shaken the rafters with 2016’s acclaimed Make Blues Not War, First Class Life finds Mike diving deep into the only genre that can do justice to his hard-won true stories of hardship and redemption. “Make Blues was pretty extreme and rocking,” he reflects. “This time, I was definitely thinking more blues.”
Released in 2018 on Ruf Records, First Class Life is a fitting album title from a man who remembers the hard times. “The title track is a nod to where I’ve come from and where I’m at,” explains the songwriter whose promising early career was almost destroyed by addiction. “It’s a rags-to-riches story, and it’s certainly true. I grew up poor in St. Louis, and now I'm travelling the world to sing my songs. In the world of excess America, I may not look ‘rich’, but in my world, I most certainly am. I have a beautiful family, I’m clean and sober, and I get to play music.”
And what music. Since Mike’s debut album, Blue Room (1997), there have been countless creative peaks, from 2011’s confessional Greyhound, through his world-conquering contributions to US supergroup the Royal Southern Brotherhood, right up to recent solo triumphs like Gone To Texas (2013), Keep Coming Back (2015) and Make Blues Not War (2016).
Last November, as the band tracked live at Mike’s new backyard recording facility – dubbed Marz Studios – there was an unspoken mission to raise the bar. “We planned three days for the session,” he reflects, “but had all the tracks finished the first day. The band was really on fire and it just had this really fun vibe that we were in my backyard making a first class record.”
On his 14th album release, Mike’s socially charged observations and candid soul-searching have never been sharper. There’s the punchy call-to-arms of Time For A Change and the exquisite ‘one-note’ slow-blues, The World We Live In. The electrified blues bounce of Dying Day swears lifelong allegiance to his wife, while the sinister Old Black Graveyard growls with Hendrix-esque flourishes as it salutes the fallen. “That’s about a forgotten cemetery of poor black Americans that has not been kept up near my home in Beaumont, Texas,” he says. “Blind Willie Johnson is buried there. It’s a sure sign of racism in America and how the poor aren’t treated with dignity. That song is a ghost story that those buried there wreak havoc in the night.”
Yet the record’s darker moments are offset by cuts like Mama Don't Like No Wah Wah, the crash-bang-wallop gem written with Bernard Allison. “Bernard told me about his first gig as guitarist for Koko Taylor,” laughs Mike. “Koko didn’t like any effects on the guitar, she wanted it to sound natural. She also didn't know what effects were, she just called them ‘wah wah’. So when Bernard made an attempt to use an effect on his guitar after playing with her for months, he got caught. ‘Mama don't like no wah wah’ is what he was told. That’s a song to me!”
Of course, the most captivating story of all is the dazzling upward curve of Mike Zito’s unfolding career. In 2018, First Class Life doesn’t just capture the past glories and setbacks – it points a signpost at the peaks to come. “With this album,” he concludes, “I had this idea of ‘stepping up’. I want the world to know I can play this music with conviction and style. I think it’s really the next step…”

Tuesday, November 7, 2017

Ruf Records artist: Albert Castiglia - Up All Night - New release review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Up All Night, from Albert Castiglia and it's smokin! Up to his 7th release now and still getting better, Castiglia opens with Mike Zito's Hoodoo On Me blistering his way on guitar and leading on vocal. Joined by Jimmy Pritchard on bass and Brian Menendez on drums, this is a great opener. With a heavy footed rock beat, I Been Up All Night is a classic funk rocker. Castiglia has great presence with fluid blues riffs and raspy vocals over the big bass lines of Pritchard and tight drumming of Menendez. Excellent! Driving rock n roller, 95 South is a super track highlighted by real nice slide work by Sonny Landreth. Another Mike Zito track, Quit Your Bitching has beautiful slow blues phrasing and may be my favorite track on the release. Smooth vocals, inspired guitar soloing lead the way. Cyril Neville's Unhappy House Of Blues has a solid blues bass with a great harp topping by Johnny Sansone. Another rocker, Chase Her Around The House, has a great boogie base line giving Castiglia a super opportunity to fly on the fretboard. Excellent! Wrapping the release is lumbering blues, You Got Me To That Place, featuring Zito and Castiglia on acoustic guitar and vocal. This is a solid closer for an exceptional release!

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Monday, October 30, 2017

Rip Cat Records artist: Alastair Greene - Dream Train - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Dream Train, from Alastair Greene and it's a smokin' rocker. Opening with title track, Dream Train, Greene on lead vocal and guitar, joined by Jim Rankin on bass and Austin Beede on drums really hit the road hard including fiery slide work by Greene. Big Bad Wolf is a great boogie rocker with grinding guitar rhythm and slashing solos. Excellent! Billy Gibbons penned, Nome Zayne has a heavy bottom and cool pinched guitar harmonics. One of my favorite tracks on the release is blues ballad, Another Lie, featuring features Walter Trout on guitar and Mike Finnigan on organ and some of the best Greene guitar riffs on tape in a while. Excellent! Acoustic instrumental, Song For Rufus, shows Greene's guitar virtuosity with serious intent. An exceptional piece of recording and playing. Dare Devil is a cool 12 bar number with a nice solo from Dennis Gruenling on harp, Mike Finnigan on organ and of course Greene on guitar for one of the most balanced tracks on the release. Blues guitar super star, Debbie Davies joins Greene on funky rocker Grateful Swagger with both artists really ripping some great riffs. Tight bottom instrumental... very cool! A beautiful instrumental tune, Iowa shows colors of electric guitar in lead soloing over tom tom. This is a very nice presentation and a nice showcase for sensitivity and guitar craft. Thick power rocker, Down To Memphis, adds super guitarist Mike Zito with a lot of girth. Very nice. Wrapping the release is jazz fused, Lucky 13, with snappy drums, a driving beat and fluid guitar runs. This is a great track to wrap a really solid release.

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Friday, October 13, 2017

VizzTone Label Group artist: Jimmy Carpenter - Plays The Blues - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Plays The Blues, from Jimmy Carpenter, and it's cooking. Opening with Magic Sam's You Belong To Me, and it's puffing smoke like Jr Walker. Saxman/vocalist, Carpenter really steps out on this release with authentic R&B style sax with Mike Zito on guitar accented nicely by Tony Diteodoro on guitar, Matthew Johnson on drums, Bob Bridges on bass and Marc Adams on keys. Jimmy Plays The Blues is an excellent soulful blues in the style of T Bone Walker. Using Carpenter's sax as the lead instrument, wailing out the melody, this track is hot. Solid shuffle track, Blues With A Feeling features tight guitar riffs and nice piano work paving the way for singing sax solo work by Carpenter. Freddie King's Surf Monkey has that great 60's vibe with Zito playing against Carpenter on lead lines. Very cool. Otis Rush's All Your Love has great feel with nice tom tom work by Johnson and shimmery guitar work by Zito. This track features Carpenter's best vocals on the release as well as some real nice sax work of course. Wrapping the release is Jr Walker's Shotgun, an R&B classic. An extended sax solo by Carpenter is just the ticket to cap this super closer to a solid release.

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Friday, May 26, 2017

Anthony Rosano and the Conqueroos - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release from Anthony Rosano and the Conqueroos and it's a hot fusion of rock and biting blues. Opening with 20 Days, a tight rocker featuring Anthony Rosano on lead vocal and stinging fat slide guitar, Jeremy "JB" Bustillos on vocal and harp, Paul Warren on bass and Scott Smith on drums. Shuffle, Give Me Strength has a cool groove with Warren romping the bass, harp attack by JB and a slick guitar solo from Rosano. You Don't Know Me is a mover and Rosano's guitar tome is warm and meaty. With a great beat and stinging guitar riffs, this track is super. Boogie track, Wicked Grin is hot with unbridled guitar riffs and a cool sax solo from JB. Excellent! Funky, Shakin' In The Veins, features really cool slide work by Anders Osborne and with a definite southern flair, cool harp work by JB pushing the track even further. Bound To You is a solid ballad with a scorching guitar intro. I particularly like the melody on this track and Rosano's vocals are the best on the release. Veracious guitar work throughout the track make this my definite favorite. Wrapping the release is Proud of My Sins, an acoustic blues with Rosano on lead vocal and mandolin. Vocal harmonies and harp work by JB make this an excellent closer for a cool release.

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Big Blues Bender Announces Fabulous Lineup for Sept!

The Bender is Sept 7.8.9.10, 2017

Big Blues Bender Announces Fabulous Lineup for Sept!

LAS VEGAS, NV. – The Big Blues Bender, one of the most talked about Blues events in the country, has announced an impressive 2017 lineup. The Big Blues Bender offers what could be their best artist lineup to date, offering a wide variety of first-class music and entertainment including, Mavis Staples, Dr. John, Tab Benoit, Walter Trout, and many more. This four-night all-inclusive music experience delivers eighteen hours of live music, daily, on three indoor stages and a fabulous pool stage all under one roof, featuring the most talented and sought after Blues artists touring today.

The 4th annual Big Blues Bender will take place Sept. 7.8.9.10, 2017 at the legendary Plaza Hotel & Casino at the top of the world famous “Fremont Street Experience” in the heart of Downtown Las Vegas. The Big Blues Bender has quickly become a festival favorite among Blues fans and artists alike – a bucket-list event for all, selling out far in advance last year. “The Big Blues Bender is more than just a Blues festival, it’s an experience,” said AJ Gross, the event’s founder, and President. “Four days and nights of music and accommodations, with Everything, An Elevator Ride Away!”

Wanna see the full lineup? Here ya go –> Bender Lineup Ready to Attend? Big Blues Bender is sold as "Packages" that include your accommodations as well as your event pass or as a four-day event pass that's good for all events and activities but does not include your hotel accommodations. Pick the option that's best for you! Have you booked yet? ☆ Book Now:
BigBluesBender.com September 7.8.9.10, check out is Monday, Sept 11th at 11 am.

The 2017 Big Blues Bender Lineup!

It's all about the music... It's ALWAYS about the music! We're proud to have this fine roster of amazing artists joining us for the 4th Big Blues Bender! Click on their names below for more details.