Coco Montoya - Writing On The Wall (2023) CD-Rip

On his first album in four years and sixth for Alligator, blues guitarist Coco Montoya alters his musical M.O. a bit. Writing on the Wall marks the very first time that Montoya brought his live working quartet into the studio. Tony Braunagel returns as producer and guests on drums on four tracks. Keyboardist Jeff Paris co-produced and recorded at Jeff's Garage. In addition to Paris, the band includes bassist Nathan Brown and drummer Rena Beavers. Guests include guitarists Ronnie Baker Brooks, country star Lee Roy Parnell, and Dave Steen. The 13-track set includes five tunes composed or co-written by Montoya, four from Steen, and one from Paris -- they co-wrote the title track with Montoya. The shared songwriting makes this, arguably, the most homegrown affair in Montoya's Alligator catalog. The contents intuitively balance electric blues, blues-rock, roots rock & roll, old-school, and R&B.

Set opener and single "I Was Wrong" is a dramatic, midtempo Chicago blues. The heartfelt regret and apology in the lyrics are emotionally resonant. Montoya punctuates his soulful sung lines with stinging fills and tight runs as a hovering B-3, weighty piano, and shuffling drums add ballast. Montoya refuses to overplay, even during his canny solo. "Save It for the Next Fool" offers a bumping bassline to guide the band. Framed in R&B, its vocal hook is extraordinarily catchy, the understated guitar tone is exquisite, even as the tempo increases toward a dramatic crescendo. "You Got Me (Where You Want Me)" reflects the grand rollicking Texas blues tradition. Montoya traces the musical bloodline that binds T-Bone Walker and Freddie King through former boss Albert Collins and the Vaughan Brothers. A cover of Lonnie Mack's "Stop" is the set's hinge track. A deeply soulful slow blues, Montoya gives his guitar breaks equal authority in highlighting the stellar vocal, while the guitar solo melds raw grit and impeccable musical taste. The title track is an anomaly: Driven by the drum kit and Paris' upright piano, it joins New Orlean R&B (think Bobby Charles and Dave Bartholomew) to country rockabilly and strolling Southern blues. The soul hook in the bridge is especially righteous. Parnell plays slide guitar on "A Chip and Chair" as Montoya frames him in power chords. "Baby, You’re a Drag" showcases him trading licks, solos, and vocals with Brooks. "What Did I Say" is a softer soul-blues. Montoya's singing voice marks his finest performance on the record. It's clean, elegant, and emotionally potent, rising gently above the swelling B-3, and piano, adorned by silvery lead fills. While "The Three Kings and Me" is a good-natured downtempo Chicago blues, closer "Natural Born Love Machine" is a strutting blues-rocker fueled by a Jim Dickinson-esque pumping piano and soaring B-3. The rhythm section's uptempo pulse underscores Montoya's expressive vocal and biting runs. According to press materials, Montoya is especially proud of Writing on the Wall, and he should be. It is musically inspired, emotionally gritty and direct, and beautifully produced.