So I was thinking about what to listen to yesterday on blues Wednesday a little Tab Benoit, Dave Hole, Buddy Guy – well maybe I’ll check out the Blues Radio Chart and see what looks good number 23 looks interesting Mike Zito so I went to Rhapsody and downloaded his 2009 release Pearl River and was not disappointed! Pearl River is Zito’s second major record release following on the heels of his first Eclecto Grove Records release Today. The St. Louis native Zito has had several independent releases and toured and shared the stage with some of my favorites Tab Benoit, Walter Trout, Bernard Allison, Coco Montoya, and Joe Bonamassa along with many others!.
Zito has some great special guests siting in on Pearl River including Cyril Neville, Anders Osborne, Reese Wynans (Double Trouble), Susan Cowsill, Lynwood Slim and Jumpin’ Johnny Sansone. These artists add to the spice of the album but the meat of the album is the great guitar playing of Zito coupled with his outstanding songwriting ability. Each song his a different unique quality from the searing guitar on the opening track “Dirty Blonde” to the slow moving sound of “Pearl River” to the classic blues harp sound Randy Chortkoff on “Eyesight to the Blind” and the funky vibe at the start of “Dead of Night”. All in all this is a great album and will definitely be in my rotation for a while! From his website site Modern Guitar Magazine says this about Zito’s vocals
“Zito’s voice is so incredibly soulful that it can be placed into that diminutive group of elite male blue-eyed soul/blues singers like Steve Winwood, Michael McDonald and Rod Stewart… A fine guitarist and composer as well, it’s a winning combination of a genuine and complete performer.”
and I’ll second that his guitar playing is pretty great. So, if you don’t know him check him out! As for me I’m going to go listen to his first release TODAY!
P.S. The album is currently # 10 on the Billboard Blues Chart
PEARL RIVER
01. DIRTY BLONDE (3:37)
02. PEARL RIVER (4:54)
03. BIG MOUTH (4:08)
04. CHANGE MY WAYS (5:15)
05. EYESIGHT TO THE BLIND (3:21)
06. ONE STEP AT A TIME (3:37)
07. 39 DAYS (4:07)
08. SHOES BLUES (3:24)
09. THE DEAD OF NIGHT (4:05)
10. SUGAR SWEET (3:30)
11. NATURAL BORN LOVER (5:30)
12. All LAST NIGHT (5:27)
13. C’MON BABY (4:57)
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOPrI1NvZi8
