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Blues Underground Network Bobby Messano "That's Why I Don't Sing The Blues" (USA) |
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 Before starting this
review, I read a review of Bobby Messano's "That's Why I Don't Sing The
Blues" by
Rhetta Akamatsu
. The
first paragraph of that review instantly caught my attention, and I quote,
"
This is, quite simply, the best blues-rock CD
I've heard this year, and can stand up well with any CD of the genre I've
ever heard, including the Allman Brothers, Derek Trucks, or any of the
other Southern blues-rock greats. Not bad for a guy from
Wisconsin!". That statement caught my attention, simply
because, that is pretty well exactly how I felt while listening to and
after listening to the album myself.
"That's Why I Don't Sing The Blues", was my first
introduction to the music of Bobby Messano and boy what an introduction it
was, one in which I was not surprised at all to see that he was on the
first round ballot for this years Grammy's in the categories of " Best Blues Album", Album of The
Year", "Song of The Year", and "Record of The
Year".
Bobby Messano has
worked hard for most of his life to get where he is today, first playing
in New Jersey Club Bands at the early age of 14. Bobby Messano's first big
break came when he auditioned and got the job as Lead Guitarist and
Singer for the Stanky Brown Group. His first road trip included opening
for the #1 band at that time, which was Kansas. With the Stanky Brown
Group and then later with another famous group called STARZ, Bobby Messano
found himself in a couple of bands that were opening for the biggest acts
around, such as, The Allman Brothers, Outlaws, Boston, Beach Boys, Steve
Miller, Rush, Ted Nugent, and Styx, to name just a few. After that scene,
Bobby Messano settled into more studio and session work as time went by,
and became highly thought after. Since 2008, Bobby Messano has put
out several albums, all critically acclaimed and now with the release
of "That's Why I Don't Sing The Blues", the accolades are once again
coming hot and heavy.
"That's Why I Don't Sing The Blues" consists of 10
Tracks and is a respectable length of over 46 minutes. All the Tracks,
except for 1, were written or co-written by Bobby Messano. The cover Track
was Jimi Hendrix's "Gypsy Eyes", which was masterfully done and had
Messano playing the Dobro. "Gypsy Eyes" also had some nice banter going on
between the soundman and Messano, both at the
beginning and end of the Track.
In addition
to Bobby Messano on Electric/Acoustic Guitars and Dobro, he is also
joined on "That's Why I Don't Sing The Blues" with Steve Geller (Bass), Joey B. Banks Drums,
and Jimmy Voegel (Keyboards). There was also a fabulous Horn section,
which consisted of Pete Ross, Chad Whittinghill, and Bryan
Husk.
For the most
part "That's Why I Don't Sing The Blues" is pretty well super solid Blues
Rock, which starts with a searing opening Track "More Than Meets the Eye".
That opener lays the groundwork for the majority of the album and lets you
know right away that Bobby Messano means business, whether it is a slower
Jazz tinged song, such as, Track 2 "That's Why I Don't Sing The Blues" or
a full speed ahead song, such as, Track 7 "San Antone",
Bobby Messano is going to amaze you with not only his blistering
Guitar work, but also his equally amazing vocals.
Picking a
few favorites off of "That's Why I Don't Sing The Blues", was darn
near impossible, as each Track was yet another special treat to
listen to, but leaning more towards straight ahead heavy Blues
Rock, I chose Tracks 5 "No Soul City" and Track 7 "San
Antone". Now don't get me wrong, just because I picked a couple of
favorites on "That's Why I Don't Sing The Blues", doesn't mean that the
other Tracks aren't great, because they are and will certainly captivate
you regardless of your favorite styles of genres.
"That's Why
I Don't Sing The Blues" is the first album I reviewed for 2012
and I am already thinking that it is the one to beat, for sure, in the
category of Blues/Rock. It is an outstanding album from an outstanding
artist, and as such it receives my highest rating of 5*****. Very Highly
Recommended and Thoroughly Enjoyed. I cannot wait to listen to Bobby
Messano's next release.
Review by
John Vermilyea (Blues Underground Network)
Additional Artist Info... http://www.bobbymessano.com/
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