Shuttle Music artist: Jay Gordon and Blues Venom - Woodchoppers Ball - New Release review

I just received the newest release, Woodchoppers Ball, from Jay Gordon and Blues Venom and it's smokin'! This is not traditional blues by any means but hot smoking blues rock with screaming guitar! Opening with The Stinger, Jay Gordon is right on it, ripping the guts out of everything in sight with his blistering guitar solos. This is the rockin'est edge of blues you're likely to hear. Hobo Hilton really cranks with a nice slow pace. Gordon turns on the flame thrower at a blink of an eye backed by Sharon Butcher on bass, Rich Wenzel on B3, and Ric Daly on drums. Gordon and Wenzel trade solos making this an extremely tight track. Excellent! Chainsaw Boogie really kind of tells it all in the title with a great British style rockin' boogie and Gordon flashing his guitar like a whirling chainsaw. Backed up by Butcher on vocals, Gordon lets the slide rip as well (Think Foghat). Very cool! Another track with some really cool slide work is Stranger Blues. Rich Gordon Lambert lays down a cool stagger step drum pattern giving this track a R&B style texture. If you like blues rock sliding guitar, you're bound to like this! Voodoo Woman finds Butcher on lead vocals and Gordon just leaves the guitar wide open. Fat slide guitar just screaming away mixed down to accommodate vocals but wide open all the way. Nice! Robert Johnson's Traveling Riverside Blues has a very traditional styling with nice vocals and extremely fluid dobro work fro Gordon. Very cool! Pain is a cool blues rocker with not only a a great blues groove but again, pure raw slide work that's fat as hell. You missing that raw fat slide blues rock...it's back! Message To Collins is a magical blues riff fest over a solid blues groove. Yes, that's right...a 4 plus minute guitar phantasm..... cool! Drippin' Blues has a real nice 12 bar feel and Gordon, singing lead just keeps the guitar amped all of the time. Very tastefully done, this is near where rock /blues came from with Savoy Brown, Led Zeppelin, Ten Years After and Humble Pie. Dig! Pure Grain Alcohol puts me in mind of earlier Johnny Winter blues styling with some real nice piano work from Wenzel and more clearly articulated guitar work by Gordon with an emphasis on vocals. His guitar solo is a more traditional breakout style and nicely placed. Blues Venom is a scorcher with Gordon on some of his best vocals. Wenzel lays down thick B3 juice lubricating the way as Gordon flames out some "axellent" riffs joined by Mario Ramirez on harp. A great blues rocker and smoking guitar man. Wrapping the release is a 9 plus minute slow blues number, Original Sin. There is no question that Gordon knows blues rock well and as a singer does a fine job. He has extremely fluid fretwork and knows how to put on the heat! This is really a solid rocker with strong blues roots. I have no hesitance whatsoever to recommend that if you want to hear blistering guitar work in a blues rock format that you get this one...now!

   

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