Eric Gales: Good For Sumthin’ Review

This is Eric Gales’ thirteenth album under his own name since his debut with the Eric Gales Band in 1991. Eric got started early in his life playing guitar at the tender age of four when he began “borrowing” his brother Eugene’s guitar. Although Eric isn’t naturally left-handed, he plays that way because his brother did. However, unlike a lot of other “lefties,” he strings the guitar for right-handed playing. This is one of the things that gives Eric a unique voice on the guitar. Since his 1991 debut at the age of 16, Eric has received accolades from all the great guitar masters of our day including Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana and Eric Johnson, to name a few. He has also guested on many records, as well as been a part of some well received compilation albums over the years. Most recently, he’s been a member of the supergroup Pinnick, Gales and Pridgen who just released their second album this year, simply entitled PGP2, and also announced a 2015 tour.

Despite being a full-time member of PGP and touring with Lauryn Hill, Eric found time to make another solo album. Good For Sumthin’ is a no frills, in your face, guitar-driven, blues-rock affair. Producer Raphael Saadiq, who has worked with John Legend, takes a minimalistic approach. The sound is better than demo quality, but still very raw with an underproduced feel. Lamar Carter’s drums and Joel Thomas Whitley’s bass are very dry, meaning there is little or no room ambiance in the sound. Eric’s guitar tone is dripping with fuzzy goodness but there is little if any reverb or echo. The entire album has a very intimate sound,as if the guys are playing right in the room with you. Raphael simply turns Eric loose to do what he does best and keeps everything else out of his way.

The album opens with “Come A Long Way.” As the title suggests, Eric sings about his journey from his roots through his success today. The track has an obvious hip hop influence but don’t worry, Eric never breaks into full-blown rap. Although, he does give us a taste of rap in the refrain where he chants “I have come a long way…” The toned down production with the juxtaposed blistering lead guitar work makes sure that no one will confuse Eric with any hip hop artist. The groove is hip hop but everything else about the track screams blues-based rock.

Lyrically, Eric sticks to familiar blues themes for most of the record including love lost, going home, the South, standing tall, faith in God, etc. “1019” is a hard driving rock/hip hop number about Eric’s place of birth. “Goin Back To Memphis” is exactly what the title suggests and it’s the only up tempo blues shuffle on the entire record with a nod to Steely Dan’s “Black Friday” with the chord progression in the chorus. The title track “Good for Sumthing,’” is a funky blues riff in the vein of R.L. Burnside or Howlin’ Wolf. “Six Deep” is the closest thing you will find to a slow blues on this record. On the R&B flavored “You Give Me Life” and “Tonight,” we get to hear Eric’s romantic side. On the Prince influenced “Tonight,” Eric’s guitar work is tight and compliments the groove more than any other track on the record. Then there is the all acoustic “Show Me How,” which is the most understated track of the entire collection. Although Eric is primarily known as a great guitarist, he certainly shines in the singer/songwriter role, as well. “Heaven’s Gate,” a song about thug life is the most socially conscious track on the entire record. Again he returns to the hip hop groove with blistering guitar formula. Eric and the band pay tribute to the Stones with their version of “Miss You.” The groove is less disco than the original and of course there’s Eric’s tasteful guitar work that pays homage to Keith Richards melodic riffing while giving it that special treatment that only Eric can bring.

The album ends with two guest appearances. Zakk Wylde joins Eric on “Steep Climb” and Eric Johnson trades solos with Gales on the instrumental “E2.” Eric holds his own with both of these legendary guitarists. After being in the music business for almost 25 years, Eric has earned the respect of the world’s greatest guitarists and it’s a lot of fun to hear him trading licks with Zakk and Eric.

This is a solid effort from Eric Gales. He burns from start to finish with only a short break to pick up an acoustic guitar for one song. I would love to hear him explore his R&B and hip hop interests a little more seriously and not just dip his toes in those waters. It’s always exciting to hear an artist delve into uncharted territory and he gives us a tantalizing taste on Good For Sumthin’. Still, Eric’s playing is as powerful and as soulful as ever. This is a must-have album for any Eric Gales fan.

 The Review: 9/10

Can’t miss Tracks

– Tonight
– 1019
– Show Me How
– Come A Long Way

The Big Hit

– Tonight

Mike Zito and the Wheel: Songs from the Road Review

Songs from the Road by Mike Zito and the Wheel is Mike’s latest album under his own name. This is a burning set of blues-based rock, Americana and soul. This live album is part of a two disc set that also includes a DVD of the show at the Dosey Doe in Houston, Texas. The playing is tight and flawless while the mix is clean and clear. You hear every nuance of Mike’s soulful voice, and what a voice it is! Mike has the soul of Otis Redding and Sam Cooke, with the thick grit of Duane Allman, Delbert McClinton and Bob Seger.

The album opens with the funky blues jam “Don’t Break a Leg” but Mike quickly shifts gears to the Springsteen/Seger-esque “Greyhound,” a song about life on the road. Mike changes the mood once again during the mid to slow tempo soul ballad, “Little Red Corvette.”  Yes, a cover of the Prince song. This is definitely one of the album’s highlights. Mike’s treatment is reminiscent of Ben Harper’s remake of Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing.” He takes this familiar song to a whole new place and suddenly a song about getting laid in a Corvette takes on a very romantic feel.

Mike picks the tempo up a bit for the tex-mex “Rainbow Bridge” and then it’s all blues for “Pearl River” and “Hell on Me.” The latter is a minor key swing number and features Mike tearing up his Tele through a wah-wah and roto-vibe. This is some of his best guitar work on the album.“C’mon Baby” is another soul ballad ala Sam Cooke. “Judgement Day” is a hard-driving rock and soul number, followed by the swinging “Dirty Blonde” and zydeco-flavored “Subtraction Blues.” The album ends with the southern rock piece “Gone to Texas,” which reminds me of The Allman Brothers with a saxophone.

The most outstanding thing about Songs from the Road is Mike Zito’s voice. His delivery is spot on and dripping with soul on every track. The Wheel does a masterful job of complementing Mike’s voice. Jimmy Carpenter’s sax and Lewis Stephen’s piano and organ shared solos, along with Mike’s guitar work, really opens up the sound. This is an excellent representation of what Mike Zito and the Wheel can do in a live setting.

The Review: 9/10

Can’t Miss Tracks

– Don’t Break a Leg
– Little Red Corvette
– Greyhound
– Hell on Me
– Judgement Day

The Big Hit

– Little Red Corvette

Steve Cal’ Band: Room to Move Review

Steve Cal’ is an emerging blues artist from Philadelphia, PA. Picking up the guitar at the age of eight, after hearing Santana’s “Samba Pa Ti,” he began playing professionally by the tender age of 14. The “Hendrix-esque” Room to Move is Steve Cal’s second album. The sound is raw, but not underproduced and the record has a “live in the studio” sound and feel. This is a breath of fresh air compared to the the current ‘Nashville-esque” sound of some of the major artists today.

Even though the recording has a very live feel, Room to Move is a typical blues record in the sense that Steve hits all the bases from funky tracks like  “Midnight Dream” and “Dirty Old Woman,” to the slow hard-driving blues of “Voodo Chile.” Kudos to Steve for not covering “Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)” which may be the most over covered blues rock song of all time.  The last three tracks on the album are in the slow blues tradition, which leaves the listener a bit hungry for the funk of the first part of the album

There are four originals and four remakes. Steve’s songwriting is solid, but remakes are always a good idea for young artists. It’s a time-honored tradition in blues to show what you can do with a standard or other great song and Steve does not disappoint. His remake of Stephen Stills’ “Go Back Home” is an excellent example of how Steve can pay homage, and yet put his unique stamp on a track.

Room to Move is a solid indie blues album. The rhythm section of Sandy Eldred on bass and Felix Manzi on drums is a good fit. Steve plays with a lot of intensity, squeezing the most out of each phrase that he possibly can. This is a young artist and band and it will be interesting to see how they develop.

The Review: 9/10

Can’t Miss Tracks

– Midnight Dream
– Dirty Old Woman
– Voodoo Chile
– Go Back Home

Big Hit

– Dirty Old Woman

S.Y.S.T.E.M

System. That word might make you think of a lot of things. A video game system, a surround sound system, an exercise system, etc., but I want you look at that word in an entirely new way. Remember this simple mnemonic device: Save Yourself Sacred Time, Energy & Money. I run into a lot of musicians and we talk about what they are doing. Some are trying to figure out how to play their guitar faster, others want to sing higher in their chest voice, some are trying to book more gigs. All of them are trying to figure out how to accomplish these tasks, but why?? 

All the things they are trying to do, someone else has already figured out. Instead, they are spending time, energy, and money they can’t get back, and spinning in circles. There’s no need  There are already systems out there to get you where you need to be and help you create what  Do a Google search on how to play faster, or how to book gigs, or to make money as a musician,  and you will get pages and pages of information from experts who have already figured these  things out. My advice to you is take a lot of notes, read every article you can, watch every video  you discover, and if you find someone that is selling a program, a coach, to help you accomplish.  Purchasing programs that will help you isn’t spending money; it’s investing in your future. Take in as many ideas as you can. Some of them you will accept right away, others you might reject. 

And sometimes you will just take pieces of an idea that work for you. What will this achieve? This will help you build your own personal system. Gather materials and create the system that works for you. And when you have that system in  place you will “save yourself sacred time, energy & money.”

Think of your favorite dinner. Let’s say it’s chicken parmesan. Do you go out and try to create this dish from scratch on your own without a guide? No, you find the person who makes it the best, and you use that recipe, adding or taking away from it as you see fit. You like a thicker sauce, you like a different cheese, you change it. You recreate that perfect dish, while adding  Creating a system is much like perfecting a recipe. The basics are there. Use the guide, and then make it better, suited to you. Add your flavor. And once you’ve succeeded, you better believe.

Time will be saved because there is no guesswork; you will be following a program. Energy will be saved because you will have a clear focus and the tools to make it happen; and money will be saved because you have a plan and you’ve done your research.  

Something to remember when creating your system is to build in some flexibility. Your business  and your craft will grow, and what you needed in the beginning may change, so make it easy to modify what you are doing for each stage of your growth. Save yourself sacred time, energy, and money. And watch your goals turn into realities. To your success!

Please visit the Blog Site.

Always Serve the Song

Why Sometimes You Need To Give Up What Is Most Precious To You. 

You’re sitting in traffic, you’re taking a shower, you’re daydreaming at work, and it comes to you. THE IDEA. And you literally cannot wait to get home and start writing. If you’ve ever sat down to write a song, you know it’s not easy. Finding the right balance between all of the elements involved is quite an art form.

But you have that magic idea and you know that it’s going to be awesome. You’ve come up with a sweet guitar riff and you’ve been air guitar-ing it all day; you’ve created the catchiest hook and you’ve been singing it non-stop; or you’ve developed the perfect melody and you just know that you’re on the edge of a hit song. You are inspired. You are confident. You are ready. You are.   You start working and you’re coming up with more and more parts. Now you have A and B and   C. But then it happens…you hit the wall. You’re stuck. You’ve got great material individually. 

That original idea, that original inspiration is now stopping you, it doesn’t fit. So you struggle. You tell yourself it has to fit; it was the basis of this whole song! You wrestle with it for days, weeks, even months, always coming back to it, but never finding the solution. You have become emotionally attached to this part of your song and it’s precious to you. But you know what, it’s not only okay, it’s necessary, to give up what’s most precious to you sometimes. If you’re really listening, the music will tell you what belongs and what doesn’t. And more often than not, that original idea is what needs to go. Sure, it got you going, gave the song life, and maybe it can be incorporated into another piece, but for this particular song, it has to go. 

I was talking to one of my friends who is an artist, and he was telling me how this applies to his craft, as well. He would start a piece and then realize it was going in a completely new direction and he had to scrap his original idea. It doesn’t mean that the original idea wasn’t great; it just means it wasn’t great for right now. But it did help create something beautiful. 

Maybe you get this awesome idea to write a song about all the injustice in the world. It’s on your  mind and you want to get the words down to match the feeling. But as you start writing, the song turns into more about love and relationships. And trying to incorporate injustice into the lyrics is what is making you stuck. So stop. It might be precious to you in that moment, you might feel  attached, but letting go and serving the song is always the answer. 

Maybe it’s an arrangement. You think it’s revolutionary, it’s going to be a massive hit, but the pieces just don’t fit. Songs are like puzzles, and you know that even the slightest difference in a piece causes the puzzle to be incomplete, so learn to adapt and let go, find the pieces that fit. 

Serve the song.

A great guitarist knows that even if he has an awesome lick he wants to play; he has to play a The music will tell you what it wants. Always. Never forget that. Don’t be afraid to scrap what you started with and let it evolve into something so much more. And those scraps can be saved into a file to revisit at a later time. I have a file just like this on my computer. Be grateful for those ideas. Every idea is important and serves a purpose. But don’t  let attachment ruin your process. It’s just one piece. You’ll write many more. To your success!

Please visit the Blog Site.

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Our First Showcase!

Hello fellow lovers!

We are excited about our first showcase performance at Moondog's in Blawnox, PA. Moondog's has a reputation for hosting some of the best touring indie acts in the biz including, Chris Duarte', Walter Trout, and Ana Popovic. We are thrilled to be a part of such a great tradition. Blackjack Flannigan will be opening the show. Door's open at 8pm. Moondog's isn't exactly large so come early. See you there!

LL

Strangelove Recommends:

Strangelove is consumed with all things musical. We love discovering new musicians/bands and when we do, we love turning each other on to these discoveries. So, we decided to take this one step further and recommend some of these treasures to our fans. We hope they excite and inspire you as much as they have us.

This week, Strangelove recommends the wonderful singer/wongwriter Jonatha Brooke. Check her out;











Also, don't forget -- Strangelove will be performing at Auggie's Roadhouse (Frankie I's) in Washington, PA on Friday, July 2. It's gonna be a great show!!