Red Roots reviewed by Harmonica Joe Poluyanskis

Red Roots

Andy Poxon Band

Eller Soul Records

www.andypoxon.com

13 tracks/56:28

Andy Poxon’s first CD release comes at the young age of 17. So here we go again with thoughts of a kid over playing guitar licks and singing blues lyrics without meaning in a falsetto style voice. Well to be honest, this was my first thought when I took a look at the cover of Red Roots.  It is a good thing that I went beyond the cellophane wrapper.

Andy’s CD debut, on Eller Soul Records, is a mix of 13 tunes written by him. He also is the producer of this project. This young artist seems to be much more advanced than his age implies. As you can tell already I am impressed by his talent. Joining Andy on Red Roots are very capable older musicians that include Russ Wasson playing bass and Mike O’Donnell on the drums. Both of these men have a long list of credible credentials. Also joining in on the mix of this recording are Ray Tilkens on keyboards and Zach Sweeney with rhythm guitar. This makes for a solid band backing up Andy’s guitar and vocals.

The opening tune on Red Roots is “Hottest Thing In Town”. This tune starts out with a rock solid bass line from Russ Wasson which leads us into an introduction of Poxon’s musical talent. His vocals on this tune are strong and his lyrics easy to follow. Listening to his guitar licks on this upbeat swing type tune will make one aware that this “kid” has paid his dues at a very young age. I am sure the best is still to come! This song is a great way to open a debut recording.

“I’ll Sing The Blues” presents some of Poxon’s very blues solid guitar playing. H e seems to take his time and leave space to create a great blues feeling to his playing. “There is only one thing he can do when he comes home to an empty home – go to his room and sing the blues” is an example of Andy’s lyrics. They are well rounded and blues based. Where he found out so much about love, girls, hottest thing in town and pretty baby is scary in itself but it is the blues. This CD is mostly blues with some rockabilly, some soul and a little jazz.

Andy Poxon Band’s CD, Red Roots, is one of those examples of “you can’t judge a book by its cover”. At first glance, I said to myself “where is this recording going to take me?” Well to my surprise it has been a great trip into the blues. This young man, Andy Poxon, should go a long way into the world of the blues. Take a listen to Red Roots.

Reviewed by Harmonica Joe Poluyanskis