The light and shade Coco infuses his songs with makes this album perfect company for a lonely night with only a bottle of wine for company or equally for a long car ride with the volume set between 7 and 8. Too many Blues Rockers these days put the emphasis on Rock but here Coco Montoya plays Classic Blues with a modern Rocky spine that mercifully never takes over in the mix. There’s even an old personal favourite of mine tucked away in the middle, which finds Coco paying homage to Frankie Miller’s Be Good To Yourself which left me open mouthed.Īs I alluded to earlier Montoya wears his influences proudly and even includes a gorgeous (Christmas) love song to them in the slow and sultry The Three Kings and Me which will send a chill down your spine the first time you hear it.Įvery genre of music has it’s ‘speciality subjects’ and none but the Blues does cheatin’ and regret better than everything else put together and on (I’d Rather Feel) Bad About Doin’ It and the luscious What Did I Say are way up there with the very best. While too many Bluesers depend on their guitar playing to carry them through an album Montoya actually has the songs too and regularly they over shadow the music in the background not least You Got Me (Where You Want Me), Late Last Night and Late Last Night, which features some slick and silky piano too. While resembling and being influenced by many of the Blues Greats (plus Carlos Santana too, I think) Montoya has evolved a signature style of playing that’s all his own being just the right side of ‘clever’ and always from the ‘less is more’ school of playing.
I put great stead in opening tracks to catch my attention and this weeping and a wailing song of repentance at his fouling up the relationship is truly dazzling and then there’s Montoya’s staggering guitar playing that would do BB King proud and that’s only half the story as the album progresses. but couldn’t quite remember what it was like.Ĭoco Montoya opens first track I Was Wrong with a howling “Baby, Baby, Baby!” and I immediatly knew that this was the album that was going to get reviewed. Classic Blues With a Contemporary Rocky Spine and a Soulful Heart.Įven though there were plenty of albums waiting patiently to be reviewed I had my heart set on listening to some Blues this morning.Īs I skipped through four potential albums I felt a bit like Goldilocks ‘ too loud‘, ‘ not loud enough‘, ‘ too raw‘, ‘ That isn’t even the Blues‘ then next on the list was this one and like the others I’d already played it about a month ago ….
0 kommentar(er)
