Pearl River
Artist: Mike Zito
Label: Eclecto Groove Records
Released: 2009
Number of Tracks: 13
Duration: 56:03
Website: https://www.mikezito.com/
Review by Charles "Dutch" Metzker
Mike Zito is an American guitarist, singer, record producer, and songwriter from St. Louis, Missouri, United States. He is a co-founder of Royal Southern Brotherhood that features Cyril Neville, Devon Allman, Charlie Wooton and Yonrico Scott.
Zito started singing at the age of five and by his late teens he had begun his career in the St. Louis area music scene. In 2008, Zito made his international debut on the Eclecto Groove label.
His second release features some special guests: Cyril Neville, who co-wrote the title cut, as well as Anders Osborne, Reese Wynans, Susan Cowill, Lynwood Slim and Jumpin’ Johnny Sansome, with the rhythm section of Lonnie ‘Popcorn’ Trevino Jr. (bass) and Eric Bolivar (drums).
Zito dips in and out of some Gulf Coast influenced swampy sounds, referencing blues, rock, funk, country and inevitably New Orleans along the way, but all indelibly stamped with his emotive voice and guitar driven energy. At times his music seems understated and laid back, but always infused with an integral rhythmic quality that offers him potential avenues in which to stretch out from the deepest of grooves to the most explosive of solos.
Track 1: Dirty Blonde – Driving guitar, from your hair on down you are trouble. 3:37
Track 2: Pearl River – Co-written by Cyril Neville. Slower paced. If the river could talk, what would it say? 4:54
Track 3: Big Mouth – I’m moving on, I’ve had enough of you. 4:08
Track 4: Change My Ways – I’ve put the hurt on you, so sad. 5:15
Track 5: Eyesight to the Blind – by Sonny Boy Williamson – You should see my woman, you can tell by the way she walks. 3:21
Track 6: One Step at A Time – with Anders Osborne – I wanted too much on a high and lonesome road. 3:37
Track 7: 39 Days – It’s been 39 days since you walked out on me and said goodbye – my lost love. 4:07
Track 8: Shoes Blues – Woke up this morning and couldn’t find my shoes, an omen for a bad day for sure. 3:24
Track 9: The Dead of Night – Saw her eyes while on the beach under the moonlight – Spooky! 4:05
Track 10: Sugar Sweet – with Mel London – She keeps me satisfied, oh yeah. 3:30
Track 11: Natural Born Lover – It’s hotter than the Fourth of July – nice slide guitar 5:30
Track 12: All Last Night – with George Smith – I lay in my bedroom alone… the harmonica speaks on this one. 5:37
Track 13: C’mon Baby – Plaintive song, you hurt me deep inside, you want to come back? Well, maybe. 4:57
Rating: I give this one 8/10, almost a full hour of pretty good music.
Hear it for yourself on Youtube.
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