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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
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- Written by: Giovanni "Gio" Pilato
Since their 2013 debut album Furiosity, the Canadian Hard-Rock band Monster Truck has been building a steadily high reputation in the rock circuit.
By supporting artists like Alice In Chains, ZZ Top, Slash and Rival Sons, amongst others, in the last few years, Monster Truck have learned very well how to refine and improve their already thunderous sound on this second offering, Sittin' Heavy, with surprising results.
Many rock bands have the tendency to indulge themselves on long guitar solos, where often lyrics might not be strong enough on their songs but this is not certainly the case of Sittin' Heavy.
The sound of Monster Truck is more organic than many more other bands around. The songs have got all the elements that a true rock band should have. The interplay between all the band members, sonically and vocally never fails in any moment of the album, giving to the whole record an extra added value.
Sittin' Heavy packs a memorable punch in the career of the Canadian quartet. The album shows all the different rock roots of the band and showcases big choruses, a solid lyrics' structure running through the whole record and an extraordinary sonic versatility.
The opening is powerful, in your face, with the fist-punching rhytm of tracks like Why Are You Not Rocking? and Don't Tell Me How To Live. Both songs constitute a true statement of the band's message about living life one day per time, always at the very best.
One of the great skills of Monster Truck is to be able to surprise the listeners when it is less expected. The song For The People takes you to a rock ride from Ontario to the US West Coast, with a foot-stomping, Lynyrd Skynyrd sound-a-like irresistible tempo. This track represents one of the best surprises of an album that shows constant signs of great musical maturity by Monster Truck.
The seductive sound of the ballad Black Forest slows temporarily the pace of Sittin' Heavy, but not for very long. Things Get Better is a swaggering tune, coloured with some beautiful bluesy tints provided by the excellent work of Brandon Bliss' organ.
The Enforcer is another highly entertaining moment of the album. The tune travels at the speed of light, with big choruses and an infectious, almost Marilyn Manson-esque drumming style that Steve Kiely provides beautifully on this track.
Enjoy The Time, the album's closer, sums up completely what the message of Sittin' Heavy and the band is all about. It's a ballad about cameraderie, good times and living for the moment, because tomorrow is a total uncertainty.
Sittin' Heavy is an album that gives real justice to a band that has been working hard and intensely to achieve the outstanding result they reached in this album. Monster Truck are back and they are here to stay for many years to come.
Giovanni "Gio" Pilato
Sittin' Heavy is out now and can be purchased via Mascot Label Group
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- Written by: Giovanni "Gio" Pilato
Eric Corne is one of the most talented producers and engineers in the music business. He had never done a solo album, despite working with the cream of the music scene. Finally, October 2015 saw the release of his debut album, Kid Dynamite & The Common Man under his label Forty Below Records.
The record certainly has many fascinating elements and what may escape some, is the fact that this is not just a beautifully conceived and executed album but is also an autobiographical one too, in our opinion. Kid Dynamite & The Common Man is the tale of two sides of the same personality, in a record almost split in half. The first part of the album concentrates on the flamboyant character of Kid Dynamite, the second one on The Common Man, the perfect portrait of a standard citizen.
Corne plays cleverly his cards, both sonically and lyrically. While Kid Dynamite sees the world in an ambiguous way through Corne's lyrics, at the same time the music marches perfectly with the internal conflicts of the character. The Canadian born artist alternates change of music tempos within the same track with great creativity and Kid Dynamite reflects ad hoc the exhuberant and versatile approach to music of Eric Corne.
Kid Dynamite & The Common Man sees a great array of guest musicians contributing on the album. Thanks also to their great craftmanship, Corne manages brilliantly to exploit his Kid Dynamite's side by stretching his sonic artillery. From the almost pop-esque Dead End, with some extraordinary overlapping layers of harmonica and keys supporting the harmonic carpet created by Corne to the hypnotic alt-rock of Not Familiar, in which Corne/Dynamite sees technology and things like Big Brother as "..eye in the sky, designed to take control of you".
The transition from Kid Dynamite to The Common Man, on the album is very smooth. The sounds become more intimate, almost West Coast style, especially in tracks like Evil Men or Blackguard. The character of The Common Man allows Corne to talk about love (I Know A Girl), disillusion and hope (Nobody Plays) and socio-political issues, such as in the closing Common Man, where "A once great nation's fallen ill, a schoolyard bully hooked on pills, with one hand on the Bible and a hand inside the till".
It's a record full of pleasant surprises, where Corne fully succeeds in using the characters of Dynamite Kid & The Common Man to describe the many layers of his talent. Where the lyrics cease to tell about state of minds or personal feelings, Corne lets the music flow, as a catarthic vehicle to allow the listeners to try and explore, on their own, corners of the soul that sometimes words are unable to express.
A record of remarkable artistry for an artist of great intelligence and talent.
Giovanni "Gio" Pilato
Kid Dynamite & The Common man is out now on Forty Below Records
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- Written by: Giovanni "Gio" Pilato
The album title describes perfectly the tale of Runrig, one of the most loved Scottish bands, their friendship, their passion for music and the love for their musical tradition.
In almost half a century, Runrig have grown so much and gone very far, both artistically and musically. Nothing better than their fourteenth and last (according to the band) studio album just published, called The Story could close the history of this eclectic Folk/Rock band.
The Story is majorly a celebration, as it should be. This time round, to seal their splendid career, Runrig has chosen to have in the control room, working as their producer on The Story, the band's youngest member, Brian Hurren. That was a clever choice for Runrig. The album is vibrant, joyous and sometimes nostalgic. What really impresses is how well the Scottish band manage to fuse the sounds and tradition of their mother land with a more contemporary rock and foot-stomping music style.
The title track The Story, that opens the album, synthesizes all that Runrig is about. Written and sang both in Gaelic and English, the track has an infectious beat, despite the slight sadness that emerges from the beautiful lyrics from Rory McDonald, vocalist and bassist of the band.
Onar travels at the same pace of the opening track of the album, with Malcolm Jones' guitar producing some of the best riffs present on the album. The band shows impressive form not just on the more fast paced tunes like the one just mentioned. 18th July spills moments of great eclecticism, starting almost as an R&B kind of tune, then switching to a more robust rock tempo until reaching an almost folk-ish finale, through Malcolm Jones' and Brian Hurren's fabulous job on accordion.
The record is a real journey through the artistic life and musical development of a band that, despite not selling exactly millions of albums, has always managed to have a packed house wherever in the world they played, through the great love and devotion of their many fans.
The closing track Somewhere is the perfect epitaph to end a special record like The Story. Supported splendidly by the 32-piece Prague Philarmonic Orchestra, Somewhere seals The Story with such uplifting elegance that it becomes almost impossible not to get a little emotional, throughout the song.
The Story is an artistic jewel that encases the past, the present and the future of one of the most skilled Scottish bands ever. A jewel that will shine in people's memories for years to come.
Giovanni "Gio" Pilato
The Story can be purchased at the band's label Ridge Records
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- Written by: Giovanni "Gio" Pilato
There is always an element of fun in being unable to label a record within a genre. And with the debut album of Coolhand, there is fun from beginning to end on this very palatable record.
Luke Bradshaw (Guitars) and Daz Edwards (vocals), a.k.a. Coolhand are excellent musicians and they do not misplace a note on this highly eclectic and well executed album. The Welsh band from Cardiff manage to assemble 12 tracks that travel across the sound of America's West Coast, through tracks like Give Love A Chance, with that irresistible Calypso atmosphere running in the background, Can't Carry On and Pretender Love.
Thanks to the supported of some really talented guest musicians playing on the record, Bradshaw's sometimes robust and dreamy guitar sound and Edwards splendid vocals have the opportunity to stretch their phenomenal music background even further and every track is a sonic surprise every time.
Lyrically, the band show also some very clever ideas, like on the opener Virtual Life, a foot-stomping blues about the concept of how the virtual world of the Internet almost takes over our lives, making truth become fake.
Dead Man's Hand is a wonderful folk/rock tune about the last night of the Wild West legend "Wild" Bill Hickok's life, penned by an excellent solo of Bradshaw's guitar and a splendid contribute on Piano and Hammond by Gareth Kedward.
J&J is the perfect closure to Coolhand's debut album. The instrumental, played solely by Bradshaw on guitar, carries echoes of Ry Cooder and for few minutes, the green land of Wales becomes a slice of Texan desert, through the beautiful harmonies created by Luke Bradshaw's guitar.
A solid debut for a band that has certainly got a lot of creativity, skills and a deep understanding of music of many different genres. A promise of even more beautiful records to come. Cool on so many levels.
Giovanni "Gio" Pilato
Coolhand can be purchased on the band's website Coolhand
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- Written by: Giovanni "Gio" Pilato
Danny Bryant is an artist that loves to challenge himself and his audience. Blood Money, Bryant's new album, is yet another eclectic and impressive work from the Norfolk's bluesman.
The album is a clear statement of love and respect from the British guitarist to blues and to some of Bryant's biggest music influences. One of the main goals successfully achieved by Danny Bryant on Blood Money is the ability to recreate the sound of his all-time music heroes, from the likes of Albert Collins (on the instrumental On The Rocks) or Albert King (on Unchained), whilst still maintaining his characteristic trademark sound.
The title-track is one of the highlights of the album and the first song to be cut for Blood Money. The duet with Walter Trout is contagiously gripping and incendiary and the two bluesmen combine a formidable interplay, both on guitars and vocals.
Slow Suicide is another excellent moment of the album, lyrically and musically. Inspired by the loss of one of the guitarist's school friends at a very premature age, the sound of Bryant's guitar is highly intense and evocative. Without a doubt, one of the most beautiful and emotional peaks of Blood Money.
Sugar Sweet is powerful and exudes rock and roll from all angles and it is Bryant's personal homage to ZZ Top's guitarist Billy Gibbons and his inimitable guitar style. Just Won't Burn, which features Bernie Marsden on guitar, is sweet and sexy at the same time, with Bryant's and Marsden's guitars gliding together in perfect harmony.
Whereas, to some, the album may not sometimes sound cohesive in its entirety, Blood Money is an album packed with some real musical delights and great ideas. Danny Bryant is an artist in constant evolution and his will to explore and broaden the sound of blues in many different ways is refreshing and highly entertaining.
Blood Money is certainly a step forward to worldwide stardom for this brilliant artist and a record to love and treasure.
Giovanni "Gio" Pilato
Blood Money is out now on Jazzhaus Records
