Coco
Montoya
Last Dirty Deal
Alligator Records
Run Time: 50:47
Born out of the LA rock scene of the late
seventies but baptized in touring and learning from the Master of
the Telecaster and the icon of British Blues, Coco Montoya keeps
contemporary blues from straying too far away from home. On his
latest disc Dirty Deal, his second for Alligator, Coco shows
us his fiery left-handed guitar still in stride and giving no hint of letting up.
The burning opener and title track to the album
is sure to be a rock favorite for AAA radio. The hard crunch and the
impassioned vocals throughout the track are unique, powerful, and
hearken a little to days gone by in blues-rock. Plus, that opening
riff is off the wall crazy-good!
Montoya slows it up but doesn’t let up on
energy on the rhumba-infused John Mooney cover “Three Sides to Every
Story” and shows some funky-blues licks over top of the solid back
beat of Steve Evans (bass) and Randy Hayes(drums).
You know Montoya hasn’t strayed too far from
his influences on the Texas-burnt shuffle of “It Takes Time,” in
which Montoya seems to conjure the late Albert Collins (his guitar
teacher and longtime friend) straight up from days gone by. The
chicken pecking and riffs are straight out of the Collins songbook,
giving a lasting tribute for years to come, as Montoya almost seems
to say thank you while he carries the torch into the next decades.
It’s almost spooky because it’s almost Albert but not quite, and
you’ll like it.
Montoya shows he’s no slouch on vocals as he
pours out his heart on the Johnny Copeland “It’s My Own Tears.”
Montoya can also give some catchy and bring smile to your face
lyrics with the tongue in cheek lyrics of “Coin Operated Love” once
again in the blues-rock vein of Texas.
This is one of the best if not the best
blues-rock release I’ve heard in the past 3 years. Montoya is
constantly reinventing the genre because he’s not a clone of anyone
but yet still stays true to his influences as shown by the covers on
the disc and the guitars sounds. If you like guitar-heavy
blues-rock, this is the benchmark for what should be going on today
in all blues-rock circles. And, it’s safe to say, the guy’s not a
bad singer either. Most of the time you get one or the other, but
Montoya gives you passionate vocals and brilliant guitar. How can
you go wrong with this dirty deal?
Check out Coco on the web at
http://www.cocomontoya.com/ or on MySpace. This album is
available at all major record outlets.
Ben Cox is a Blues Songwriter, Musician, DJ and Journalist.
|