Ghost Town Blues Band - Hard Road To Hoe - New Release review

I just received the newest release, Hard Road To Hoe from Ghost Town Blues Band and I really like it. Opening with title track, Hard Road To Hoe, lead singer and guitar player sets up the track. With a loose slide vamp on cigar box he is backed by Preston Ewing on drums, Jeremy Powell on piano and Alex Piazza. Unexpected texture added by Suavo Jones on trombone and Richie Hale on tenor sax tips a great opener. Up next is boogie track Big Shirley with all of the fire of Jerry Lee Lewis from Powell on piano. A real rowdy rocker, this track cooks with a nice flash of electric guitar from Isbell to boot! Tip Of My Hat has a Rumba rhythm with Isbell, McEwen and Vicki Loveland on vocal. Super showman Brandon Santini steps up his crankin harp adding a nice bite to this track. Very cool! Santini takes the one leads on vocal on My Doggy, an easy walker with a clever story. Marry Dog Isbell adds an authentic howl to the track and Santini is also in on harp but the horns on this track shine instrumentally. On old time rag track, My Handy Man, the horns get together for a really hot Dixieland blowout. One of my favorite intro's on the release. Hate To See Her Go is a cool R&B/blues track with that clever play on words "I hate to see her go, but I love to see (watch) her walk away". Jones, Hale and Isbell each take hot solo's on this track making it one of my favorites on the release. Tied My Worries To A Stone has a cocky strut and Isbell's vocal/guitar interface is terrific on this track tightly reinforced by McEwen. Dead Sea is a gritty ballad with just a touch of country. Although easy on the slide work, this track puts me in minde of one of my old favorites, The Ballad of Curtis Lowe. Very nice! Nothing But Time travels into Gary Moore or Bonamassa territory with a slow screaming blues track. This has got to be the crowd favorite with a classic blues buildup and screaming guitar retort to a gritty but solid vocal melody. Powell on B3 adds a real nice tension to the track as well. Driving blues rocker, Dime In The Well, has vocal and guitar paired in a hard drive with MeEwen and Piazza chasing. Solid! Seventeen is totally different from the balance of the release but I really like it. Sounding like it was written to be a hit but with enough instrumental sophistication and guitar riffs that it attracts my attention with it's overall musical power and sting. Excellent! Road Still Drives The Same has an easy, JJ Cale like approach but with slick clean slide guitar work by Isbell and B3 by Powell. A well written and performed release that is quite interesting to listen to. Check it out!

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