This is a varied and eclectic blues cd by guitarist Marco Roagna and his band.
‘Chopper’ kicks off the proceedings. It’s reminiscent of earlier, and many would argue, better Z.Z Top. Roagna has a good fluid style on this track. There’s plenty of little licks and solos, and it forms a pleasant opening track. ’La Rua’ has a Hendrix / S.R.V feel to it. It’s beautifully played with plenty of feel and emotion. The third track, ‘London Banana’ is quite funky, featuring some well played bass by Fabrizio El Coenda. ‘Willy Blues’ is a laid back, slow blues track. Could it be a tribute to Willy Dixon? It’s not a Dixon track, as Marco wrote all the tracks on this cd but it has that vibe to it. There’s some really nice solos on this track. A very relaxing tune.
‘Catfish’ has a country vibe. An acoustic track, with a good use of harmonics before it’s time to pay tribute to Mark Knopfler, with ‘Canyon’. It has that easy-to-identify Fender Strat sound. Again it’s played really well, with good support from the rhythm section, Coenda and Gianni Romagnolo on bass. ‘Marsun Blues’ has a catchy riff and guitar sound. It’s my favourite track on the cd. Whilst there’s some nice twangy guitar solos on the next track, ‘Saint Momme’. This track is another slow blues, although there’s some quite speedy fret work in places. It’s another really relaxing track. The oddly titled ‘Boys.com’, is a pacey blues number, leading to the slower ‘CarLoan Blues’, featuring acoustic and electric guitar solos. There is no singing on the cd and perhaps that could have added a little something to the cd.
Overall an enjoyable album. Something to relax to over a few beers, (in my case, I had a few bottles of Oakham Citra on this occasion.)
Review by Chris Greenwood
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