Provogue Records artist: Omar Dykes - Runnin' With The Wolf - New Release review

I just received a copy of the newest release (July 9, 2013), Runnin' With The Wolf, from Omar Dykes and it's a solid new blues effort. Opening with the title track, Runnin' With The Wolf, an original track that is worthy of being written by the Wolf himself sets the stage for a full out wolf pack. Dykes has a great voice to project the Wolf and complimented by Derrek O'Brien on guitar, Ronnie James on bass, Ted Roddy on harp and Wes Starr on drums this is a cool track. Next up is Killin' Floor done with a driving beat but Dykes kills it on guitar and is joined this time by Mike Buck. On The Red Rooster, Dykes does a nice job of creating a new feel to a real classic. Dykes adds real flair on guitar this track and of course his vocals are really super. On Howlin' For My Baby, Eve Monsees joins the mix on guitar, Dykes keeping the track fairly close to the original but just adding enough flavor to make it his own. Spoonful is one of my favorite tracks on the release with enthusiastic vocals and stinging guitar riffs. Ooh Baby, Hold Me gets a bit of guitar spice on a fairly classic cover of Wolf. O'Brien and Dykes light it up but don't push it overboard. Riding In The Moonlight has a real nice Texas lope to it and Dykes really plays it up vocally. On Who's Been Talkin', a Latin rhythm plays nicely into the hands of this larger scale band with the healthy addition of Mark Kaz Kazanoff on sax, Les Izmore on sax and Nick Connolly on organ. A totally different take on Back Door Man, boogie style, gives a flavor of country on guitar. The driving Worried All The Time, is a great rocker opening the door for some hot guitar riffs and even a bit of sliding. A "Class A" cover of Smokestack Lightning conjures memories of the real Wolf and his personal style... very nice! On Do The Do, Dykeks sticks to the early Bo Diddley style rocker and Kaz adds some real nice sax work to top off the mix. On I'm Leavin' You, Dykes gets a great groove going for another of the real standout tracks on the record. Great guitar riffs on this track simply highlight an already super track. Tell Me What I've Done is done down and dirty and stripped down to 3 pieces, this track is tight. Sit back and catch the wave on this one. Smokin' riffs and deep feeling make this a real favorite of mine. Finishing up with an uptempo Wang Dang Doodle, Dykes really grinds down on Wolfs vocals. Stinging guitar punctuation on this track also add a lot of spice, with Izmore warming up the bottom on sax. You may say this is a Wolf cover release, but what it is, is a great tribute to a few moments in blues as interpreted by one of todays great performers. Very enjoyable!

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