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- Written by: Giovanni "Gio" Pilato
There is always a lot of curiosity when a new album from the Blues/Rock Titan Joe Bonamassa comes out. Curiosity that becomes also an expectation of the highest standard especially after his last studio album Different Shades Of Blue, in which the Guitar Virtuoso from New York had taken a considerable leap away from blues music.
The good news for all Bonamassa's fans and music lovers in general, is that Blues Of Desperation is a vastly more cohesive work, in comparison to Bonamassa's last studio album. The less good news, especially for those blues lovers who have loved Joe Bonamassa since the dawn of his career, is that with this record, the Guitarist Extraordinaire steps decisively towards the world of rock music.
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- Written by: Giovanni "Gio" Pilato
When Jeff Healey passed away in 2008, age 41, because of a sarcoma cancer, the world of music lost prematurily another of its most talented disciples. One of the greatest blues/rock giants of the last quarter of the century, Healey had been writing and composing music even in the hardest moments of his fight for survival. Music that, rather unfortunately, never saw the light of the day for almost 20 years, until now.
Heal My Soul is a full-length new album that includes 12 brand new songs from this formidable artist. Thanks to the determination and the passion of Cristie Healey (Jeff's wife) and Roger Costa, one of Healey's closest friends, we finally get the chance to hear what this prodigious guitarist and songwriter wrote between 1996 and 1998, a period in which the relationship with the members of The Jeff Healey Band was falling apart.
Frankly, there are moments on the record where Healey has never sounded any better than this. The extraordinary capacity of the Canadian-born artist to adapt his ability and talent in different music genres erupts all over Heal My Soul. The Multi-Grammy nominated guitarist and songwriter can play whatever he wishes to and still, everyone will be able to recognise his trademark sound.
When he rocks, he really rocks. The thunderous Please contains some of the best guitar parts Healey has ever written. Same goes for Temptation, a tune that starts gently with an acoustic guitar line, to then explode into a furious sonic rock attack, with Healey's voice sounding as powerful as it has ever been in his career.
Put The Shoe On The Other Feet is a pure funk feast, in which Healey dazzles the listener by leading superbly the tune through the blasting sound of his guitar.
Even when he goes acoustic, Healey is able to create an extraordinary intensity. All The Saints is such a superb tune in its simplicity and the demonstration that true artists don't need anything more than their guitars and voices to create atmospheres able to go straight to the hearts of the fans.
Despite minor glitches in a couple of tracks of the album, not related to Healey's material but more to production and mixing aspects, Heal My Soul shows an artist at the peak of his creativity and reveals to the new fans why Healey has been one of the most influential and original guitarists for almost three decades of blues and rock.
On 25th March, the album's release date, Jeff Healey would have turn 50. Heal My Soul is the tastiest birthday cake he has ever baked. Happy Birthday, Mr. Healey, we truly miss you.
Giovanni "Gio" Pilato
Heal My Soul will be available from 25th March via Mascot Label Group/Provogue
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- Written by: Giovanni "Gio" Pilato
The greatest thing about being in your twenties is that swagger and the sense of invincibility that the age range carries with, until that fateful moment comes. It is the time when you realise that your teenage years are almost over and you just don't want to let them go. This is exactly the narrative theme ongoing on Happy Bastards, the new album from the talented Andy Frasco & The U.N.
The American collective throw a full-throttle, incandescent goodbye party to their youth, infusing their music formula with an irresistible pastiche of 60's R&B, Soul, Reggae and Dance. Add to this winning recipe, lyrics sometimes funny, other times deep or even, occasionally, on high testosterone level to make you play this album over and over again. The sole goal of the record, though, is to make people want to dance and have a good time and, by jove, they fulfill that superbly.
Despite the album's light-hearted theme, Andy Frasco & The U.N. sound in fabulous form, even more so than their previous, critically-acclaimed third album Half A Man. There are the vibes of a whole Motown-style orchestra in tracks like When You're Lonely (Fill You Up), the East Coast R&B heart-warming sound of tunes like Make It Work, Blame It On The Pu**y and (Oh My My) Can't Get You Off My Mind or the cheeky folkish Rumba of Let's Get Down To Business.
The velvet soul of Good Ride, a song about breaking up, is perhaps the true highlight of an album that manages to incorporate brilliantly so many different musical elements. The band work together in perfect harmony, thanks to the strong and powerful voice of singer, Frasco and the great sonic amalgam of The U.N.
Happy Bastards is an uplifting record that aims to bring joy to everyday life. Even when they use language straight-to-your-face, Frasco and The U.N. manage to keep their style true to themselves, respecting their roots and still offering an incredibly dynamic and fresh sound. A highly entertaining record for any time and any place.
Giovanni "Gio" Pilato
Happy Bastards will be released on 25th March on Ruf Records
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- Written by: Giovanni "Gio" Pilato
Scotland is not just one of the most enchanting parts of the United Kingdom but also a land that never ceases to surprise for the variety of music genres this place is able to gift the world with. It can be rock or pop or blues, that doesn't matter, because a true Scot will play any type of music straight from his heart and soul.
To be able to combine many different genres and make them work as sublimely as the Glaswegian Stevie Nimmo does on his brand new solo album, Sky Won't Fall, is a demonstration of true, sheer talent.
Recorded in just ten days, the album is the perfect introduction to Nimmo's personality and his versatility as a musician.
From the imperial attack of the opener Chains Of Hope, a true rock and roll firecracker, bouncing to the almost country-esque ballad Walk The Thin Line, to then buzzing to the sexy riffs of Nimmo's guitar on that wonderful slow blues that is Gambler's Roll, Sky Won't Fall is like a series of pyrotechnical fireworks that dazzle the listeners in every track of the album.
Nimmo's ability on guitar is well known among the blues/rock world but his singing style is perhaps the most sublime discovery on his new album. The Scottish artist showcases an incredible array of singing styles throughout the record, from the thunderous, powerful vocals on Roll The Dice Again to the deeply emotional and soulful delivery on the acoustic, closing tune Love You More Tonight.
It is well worth mentioning the great wall-of-sound that Craig Bacon on drums and Mat Beable on bass have helped to achieve on Sky Won't Fall, completing Nimmo's outstanding work on guitars and vocals.
2016 has hardly started and it has already gifted fans of blues, rock and blues/rock with some authentic masterpieces. Make some space for Sky Won't Fall on your CD rack, because Stevie Nimmo has pulled out of his magical music hat his best work so far.
Giovanni "Gio" Pilato
Sky Won't Fall is out now on Manhaton Records
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- Written by: Giovanni "Gio" Pilato
One of the many positive aspects of music genres like Blues, Roots or Americana is that one doesn't necessarily need to be a native American to be able to play such types of music, as long as there is the right commitment and enough heart and soul from an artist.
Micke Bjorklof & Blue Strip from Finland, at their sixth album have successfully managed to create the right blend of all the genres above mentioned with class, elegance and, most of all, great artistry. Ain't Bad Yet, their new record, shows in full the great eclecticism of a band that has reached an incredible musical maturity as years go by.
There are some truly inspired moments on the band's new album. The opener Last Train In Memphis is the perfect introduction to the album. Bjorklof's electric guitar and Lefty Leppanen's slide guitar duel with great synchronicity, with Teemu Vuorela's almost jazzy drumming style to support beautifully the rhytmic canvas of the song.
Train In Jerusalem is a rousing Blues-Rock ride that has got all the criterias to become an international hit, sustained admirably by Bjorklof's guitar playing and a singing style that gets better and better over time, just like a fine wine.
Rat Chase reveals a slightly more Funky-Jazz side of Bjorklof & Blue Strip while the track Today reveals in full the Protean capacity of a band able to incorporate, in a three-minutes-plus song, elements of Blues, Folk and Americana with such lightness and consummate craftmanship at the same time.
Make no mistakes about one thing; Micke Bjorklof & Blue Strip are at the top of their forms and they mean every note they play and sing in each of the eleven tracks of Ain't Bad Yet. Without a doubt, the peak of their musical career so far.
Giovanni "Gio" Pilato
Ain't Bad Yet is out now and can be purchased on Amazon
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- Written by: Giovanni "Gio" Pilato
Not many people is aware that, when Big Boy Bloater released in 2014 the album Loopy, the english artist was already struggling deeply in his battle with depression that took almost a couple of years to overcome. A battle that, thankfully, Big Boy managed to fight and win through the only antidote he really truly knows: making music.
Big Boy Bloater is not just one of the best singers/songwriters in the United Kingdom but he is also fuelled with a solid dose of dark humour and irony. The latter shines in cubical characters just by taking a look at the album title. Luxury Hobo is Big Boy's way of having a go at the spoiled way that modern society lives nowadays and the fact that after all, we all are Luxury Hobos.
The album is a celebration of Big Boy Bloater's sparkling talent and personality and The Limits provide, once again, an excellent music structure throughout the whole record. Luxury Hobo travels through different decades of music and has some really inspired moments. The opener Devils Not Angels is Big Boy's raucous and foot-stomping caution about people you meet for the first time and how to interact carefully with them. The mid-section of the tune provides a prodigious guitar riff that brings back echoes of the 60's style of Chuck Berry or Carl Perkins, showcasing once again the great ability on guitar of Big Boy Bloater.
The excursus into the rock and roll of the late 60's and early 70's does not end there. I Love You (But I Can't Stand Your Friends) recalls memories of The Stones' Sticky Fingers period, while the closing Not Cool Man has got that infectious guitar riff that made the fortune of bands like Dr. Feelgood.
It is real fun hearing how well Big Boy Bloater & The Limits stretch sonically their music formula, alternating R&B's sound layers with rock and rolls' ones. When it comes to R&B though, there are few people around able to do it like Big Boy Bloater does, not just through his great guitar skills but also through his wonderful singing voice.
Luxury Hobo Blues has the sound of the Stax period written through and through, as has All Things Considered too, with Big Boy's voice reaching its absolute peak of depth and intensity, on this particular tune. I Got The Feeling Someone's Watching Me is a playful slowed rumba and Big Boy's singing style get as close as humanly possible to Tom Waits' one.
Lyrically, there is a lot of entertainment too, thanks to the witty and eclectic Big Boy's writing style. Robot Girlfriend, one of the album's singles is a dark twist on how technology takes over the human race. It's the tale of a female robot, object of the owner's fantasies that reverses the roles in this absurd relationship and fall, in the end, for a male robot instead.
The only real shame about the album is that it clocks off after less than 40 minutes. It is though a great return to form for Big Boy Bloater & The Limits and most of all, the welcomed return to one of the most vibrant and clever entertainers and music raconteurs around.
Giovanni "Gio" Pilato
Luxury Hobo is out now and it can be purchased via Provogue/Mascot Label Group
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- Written by: Giovanni "Gio" Pilato
This is more than a record. West Of Flushing, South Of Frisco is a tale of deep friendship amongst musicians, all tuned towards the same goal and playing with their hearts on their sleeves.
Supersonic Blues Machine is a music project born partly by destiny and partly by a wonderful musical chain reaction. Fabrizio Grossi (Bass Player, Producer and Mixer) and Lance Lopez (Guitars and Vocals) have been friends long before Supersonic Blues Machine was born. In 2012, they hooked up together in Los Angeles and after just a day and a half in the studio, they came up with three songs, planting, almost by accident, the basis for what then became the SBM project.
Destiny played again a vital part in the creation of the band, when veteran drummer Kenny Aronoff joined the pair. Aronoff found a mutual musical ground almost immediately with Grossi and Lopez, integrating his vast musical experience and background with his equally hugely experienced two new music compadres.
West Of Flushing, South Of Frisco is a modern masterpiece and one of the contenders as blues/rock album of the year 2016. Grossi, Lopez and Aronoff synchronicity and interplay on every track of the album is as close to perfection as it may possibly be. This record is an enchanting rollercoaster of rhythms, harmonies, brotherhood, redemption and forgiveness, all wrapped in one of the best musical packages available right now in the music business.
I Ain't Falling Again is an almost 70's rock sounding tune, that digs deep into the personal life of Fabrizio Grossi. The drumming provided by Aronoff cadences ad-hoc the inner feelings unraveled by the lyrics and constitutes one of the many highlights of the record. Even when the band decides to do a cover, the results are outstanding. Ain't No Love (In The Heart Of The City) kicks in with a thunderous guitar riff, then gently slows down and then the tune opens up again with the keyboards, in a crescendo that allows then the whole band to blend into the song. Lopez's versatility, throughout the album not just as a guitarist but also as a singer, is second to none. His voice, particularly on this tune, is as warm and emotional that would have made Bobby "Blue" Bland utterly proud.
Supersonic Blues Machine is a big music family, one of the largest and healthiest. And when family calls, every member comes in and help out in the best way possible. Each and every friend of the band adds his personal touch to each song in the way they find more natural. There is no showing off involved, just pure fun and a genuine will to jam together. You can sense the fun that Billy Gibbons feels by playing on an almost autobiographical (for him) track like Running Whiskey or the happy swagger running through Chris Duarte's Stratocaster during the funky tempo of That's My Way.
There are some truly sublime musical moments, both from the band and their Special Guests. Warren Haynes provides some very inspired guitar riffs on that splendid Americana ballad that is Remedy, without a doubt another very inspired moment of the album. Supersonic Blues Machine show no signs of slowing down the intensity on this majestic album. Can't Take It No More seems almost a song designed specifically for Walter Trout's playing style. Trout superbly creates an highly effective otherwordly feeling on this track, through his vocals and his unmistakable guitar sound.
When one starts to think that the surprises are over, the evocative sound of the ballad Let's Call It A Day takes the listeners to another unexpected spin on the Supersonic Blues Machine's musical rollercoaster. Robben Ford's playing style is dreamy and succeeds brilliantly to bring to the album those colours and flavours of the 60's West Coast era. The closing Watchagonnado is a hymn to the band's attitude; it's a funky tune with tinges of blues, describing what Jesus Christ's point of view would be, should he be back on earth and realizing how much humans have trivialised and twisted his teaching.
West Of Flushing, South Of Frisco is an eponymous sonic journey through past, present and future of blues and rock. It's creativity and fun, it's artistry and improvisation, it's irony and seriousness. Most of all, it's a message of true love for music and a celebration of cameraderie among musicians.
Giovanni "Gio" Pilato
West Of Flushing, South Of Frisco is released on 26th February via Provogue/Mascot Label Group
