320 kbps | 113 MB | UL |
Released in 2016 on Ruf Records, Make Blues Not War is Mike’s second release since leaving the mighty Royal Southern Brotherhood, his 13th overall – and perhaps his most energetic to date. “Make Blues Not War is a really fun album,” he says, “chock-full of blues with lots of guitar playing. It’s a very upbeat record with intense energy. Blues should make you feel good, and I think this record serves the purpose well.” That atmosphere of positivity began at the album sessions, as Mike tracked alongside Grammy Award-winning producer (and co-writer) Tom Hambridge at the Sound Stage Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. “It was so much fun,” he remembers. “It’s a completely live album, where the musicians all set up and we just hit record and went for it. The energy was awesome and sometimes we’d just be laughing so hard because it was all so intense and exciting.” As the momentum gathered, the songs flowed, with Mike painting in every shade of blue, from the frantic showboating of “Crazy Legs” to the slow-burn of “Red Bird” and the smoky slide of “Girl Back Home”. “It was time,” he says, “to get back to the blues and playing my guitar. Tom and I had spoken about making a kick ass blues-rock album for years.” Likewise, when it comes to Mike’s lyric sheet, these songs search for the silver lining in a troubled world. “I love writing songs and sharing deep feelings,” he says, “but I also like having fun and cutting loose – that’s what this album is all about. “Chip Off The Block” was written for my oldest son, Zach Zito, who is the featured guitarist on this track. It’s his first introduction into the music world and he did a great job. I couldn’t be more proud of him. He graduates college next spring and joins me on tour in summer – I can’t wait.” “Road Dog,” adds Mike of the album’s wistful slow-blues travelogue, “is really the most serious tune on the album. It’s about the drama of life on the road. I know it can seem clichéd sometimes, but it’s the life I lead. I miss my family, miss my wife, but this is what I do. I always leave.” Mike has spent over two decades on the run. He grew up in a hard-grafting blue-collar home in St. Louis, but after an early job at a downtown guitar shop exposed him to heavyweights like B.B. King, the Allmans and Eric Clapton (then Joe Pass, Robert Johnson and Blind Willie Johnson), he set out as a working musician.
Tracklist:
1. Highway Mama 05:20
2. Wasted Time 03:24
3. Redbird 07:00
4. Crazy Legs 03:52
5. Make Blues Not War 04:10
6. On the Road 03:45
7. Bad News Is Coming 06:29
8. One More Train 03:50
9. Girl Back Home 03:01
10. Chip off the Block 03:32
11. Road Dog 05:26
12. Route 90 03:50