Ruf Records artist: Mike Zito & the Wheel - Keep Coming Back - New Release Review

I just received the newest release (November 6, 2015), Keep Coming Back, from Mike Zito & the Wheel and it's a real rocker! Opeing with title track, Keep Coming Back, Zito is leading the way on vocal and screaming hot slide guitar. Jimmy Carpenter on sax, Scot Sutherland on bass, Rob Lee on drums and Lewis Stephens on keys really rock the house! Excellent opener!! Keeping up the driving rhythm with Chin Up, with a little more country rock twist. Rocking guitar lines and soulful sax work from Carpenter nicely compliment Zito's vocals. Easy country rock track, Get Busy Living has that laid back Dickie Betts Blue Skies feel. A perfect radio track, has cool vocal blending with Carpenter and Suzie Sims. Country rock ballad, Early In The Morning, nicely highlights Zito's vocal work, backed on vocal by Riley Zito. Comfortable track for cross radio play. I Was Drunk is a cool style ballad with a twist of southern blues. This is a really nice gritty track with Anders Osborne sharing vocal and guitar lead. Very nice! Lonely Heart takes a turn toward jazz with a poppy, blues fused funk. This is a quiet, but really nicely executed, track with stylized guitar and percussion by Trina Shoemaker. Zito's vocals are pure and his guitar work seems to float in the mix. Sweet! Girl From Liberty is a pop rocker in the vein of John Cougar. Zito holds this track in the palm of his hand with strong vocals and a really nice guitar solo setting it out nicely. Next up is Bob Seger's, Get Out Of Denver. With all of the enthusiasm of the original, Zito and Carpenter really drive the train and Stephens' piano work is super. Zito rips off a great rockin' guitar solo and the track romps into Carpenter's super sax solo. Excellent! Nothin' But The Truth is a low slung blues rocker and Zito really shows off his signature warm guitar tone. Zito, with Keith Richards like style, and Carpenter, with full sax timbre rock the house. Warm slide guitar opens funky swamp track, Cross The Border. This is my favorite new track on the release with it's perfectly crafted vocal lines, guitar and rhythmic phrases. Real nice! Super ballad, What's On Your Mind, has really nice guitar harmonic overtones sprinkled over Zito's soulful vocals, and warm sax phrasing from Carpenter. Carpenter takes a really smooth melodic sax solo leading into the final stanza as Zito delivers the track home. Very nice. Wrapping the release is a remake of John Fogerty's Bootleg. Zito's own style is really not terribly dissimilar to Fogerty's so this track is a natural. With David Farrell and Riley Zito on backing vocal, expressive sax soloing from Carpenter, driving drum work from Lee and hot riffs from Zito, this is a great party track to end a rocking release. \

 

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

 

MIke Zito - Keep Coming Back - CD out November 6

Mike Zito Digs Deep In His Musical Pockets With Keep Coming Back

Blues Guitar Slinger slides, picks and grooves

on new album

Produced by Trina Shoemaker and Zito –

CD out Nov 6

“He’s a rough-edge sculptor who has the classic masters in mind and then makes a unique modern artist statement.” – Boston Blues Society

Ruf Records award winning artist singer/songwriter/guitarist Mike Zito paints a beautiful imperfect picture with Keep Coming Back. Colorful images of his past, present and future are all set to some of the most powerful melodies of his career. Recorded at Dockside Studios in Louisiana, the album was produced by Grammy Award winning Trina Shoemaker and Zito himself, is set for November 6^th release. Taking cues from his musical collection, live shows and his solid backing band, The Wheel, the guitarist finds himself in a fine place.

“Having fun and playing music you love and believe in; it’s all about the song.” – Mike Zito

This Texas rocker bleeds the words in his songs – “I’m Drunk” (co-written with Anders Osborne) describes his life-long addiction struggles and how many victims he has left behind.  Mike always returns to his founding values of honest, original songs, drawn from the emotional depths, twisting the great American genres into bold new shapes. The Credence Clearwater Revival cover, “Bootleg”, closes out the album with a bang, is most fitting for Zito’s voice. That voice moved a writer enough to call it, “velvet”.

The title cut is a memo to himself of how life runs in circles.  It’s a typical slice of brutal honesty from a man who has always told it straight. Ask Mike for his backstory and he’ll give you warts and all.

"Keep Coming Back; Give your burden to the Blues

Keep Coming Back, Whatta ya got to lose"

Keep Coming Back is home to seven new Zito-penned originals, three co-writes with Anders Osbourne and two covers, Bob Seger’s “Get Out Of Denver” and CCR’s “Bootleg”.  “I love to tell stories,” says the bandleader, “and these songs are stories from my heart, my crazy mind and my life. With the help of Anders, I think I’ve got the best collections of songs I’ve written yet.”

“…his fiery playing elevates each and every song, as do the swallow-your-emotions vocals.” –Vintage Guitar

Working with producer Trina Shoemaker gave Zito a fresh new start. “Trina and I were simpatico in our ideas of what this album would sound and feel like,” recalls Mike, “and she nailed it. This album is raw when it needs to be, subtle, sincere and grooving all the way through. My band is in top form. The musicians gave their all to the songs and brought out the best in me.” This band took the energy from the road to the studio in a hot flash. Top notch players include Jimmy Carpenter (saxophone/vocals), Scot Sutherland (bass), Rob Lee (drums) and Lewis Stephens (keys).

This seasoned musician has a lot to reflect on, solo albums, a Blues Music Award winner, a founding member of Royal Southern Brotherhood, as the wheels keep rolling for him.  There’s a spectrum of genres that can only be called Americana – part-blues – half a cup country and another cup of rock – makes Mike Zito who he is.

Mike and his band, The Wheel will embark on a supporting Keep Coming Back – check his website for updates – www.mikezito.com