Greyhound reviewed by Steve Jones

Greyhound

Mike Zito

Eclecto Groove Records

www.mikezito.com

11 tracks

For some people the third try is the charm.  For Mike Zito, every trip to the plate has been a home run.  This completes a trifecta: a career that has started with three great CDs.  Zito plays, sings and writes with great expressiveness.  Original songs that tell sad but interesting stories, a guitar that is fiery hot, and vocals that are gritty and authentic make for another great album by this young and burgeoning super star.  Is this blues?  Well, not really.  It is more so rock done in a dark and country roots music sort of way, but it damn good stuff.  I loved his previous CDs and I love this one, too!

Zito opens with “Roll On”, where he sings of looking for new love, where he’s got to “keep on moving and baby roll on”.  He picks out a steady and poignant guitar solo that complements the lyrics and beat.  He follows that up with the title track.  He away and adds more great lyrics, more deep and dark feelings and we’ve still got ten tracks to go.  It’s really a country rocker but man, it ain’t the pop country we are bombarded with- this is truly good stuff.  The next two tracks Zito co-wrote, and both have Biblical references.  “Judgment Day” (written with Gary Nicholson) and “Show Me the Way” (written with Osborne), which are also deep and dark songs that Zito delivers with his characteristic style.

Zito starts acoustically on “Stay” and is all acoustic on “Motel Blues”.  He delivers the same intensity in his work without the big electric sound- he is equally adept on his Strat and on his acoustic guitar.  To note, the last three songs on the album seem to be in a slightly different order than as listed on the cover, but despite the errant ordering they and the other tracks are all superb- exceptional lyrics of despair and hope, hardcore performances and a guitar that sings as well as he does.

Zito to is joined by Carl Dufrene on bass and vocals, Brady Blade on drums and vocals and Anders Osborne on back-up vocals and guitar.  Osborne has done some superb stuff of late on his own and in producing and playing with others.  He is hitting his own homeruns and deserves credit for driving in some runs here- solid production and backing work! 

This is another exceptional album from a young man who burns with passion and displays it in his songs and performance.  This is well worth adding to your music collection.

Reviewed by Steve Jones