Hiromasa Suzuki - From Where I Am (review)
Hiromasa Suzuki - From Where I Am
reviewed by Michael Macomber
This is simply badass. Hiromasa Suzuki is a rhythm-and-blues-groove-soul-guitarist par excellence. He takes the instrument places it has rarely gone, advancing the blues form and making the sky cry.
The original ballad “Negai” is pure emotion, from heart to strings. Suzuki’s playing sails along on a wave of sincerity, Dan Hickey’s drums rising and crashing. “Mojo Workin’” comes from the opposite side of the tracks, jumpin’ and rumblin’, while Suzuki makes energetic love to his guitar. “Money’s Getting Cheaper” shuffles along with ease, with Suzuki’s bandmate from the Gas House Gorillas, Rick Fink, delivering a typically charming vocal. The jam “Kiokuno Rojiura,” another original, is a head bobbin’ grinner, not to mention an excellent showcase for Suzuki’s superior improvisational skills.
The train-train sound of “Doushitemo Aitakute” finds Suzuki taking his songwriting in a more downhome direction. Elvis Presley or Eddie Cochran would love this one. The swingin’ rockabilly blues sound is incredible and irresistible. And, of course, Suzuki’s lengthy solo is electrifying.
The foot-stompin’ classic “Crossroads” gets a traditional and untraditional treatment, in an arrangement that illustrates the history and development of the blues. This track also serves to illustrate the wide ranging brilliance of Hiro Suzuki, as producer, as arranger, as guitarist, and as artist. Hiro Suzuki is what the blues are all about.
