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Band Box Boogie
From October 2004

Instead of jumping on the jump-blues bandwagon a few years ago, guitar ace Rick Vito waited until all the finger-poppin' voodoo bands with "Daddy" in their name faded to the lounge circuit, and recorded an album that sheds the nostalgic shtick and shows the range that genre encompasses, and then stretches its limits even further.
If you're not familiar with Vito by name, trust me, you've heard him. 'The fat-toned slide on Bob Seger's "Like A Rock" (and the Chevy pickup commercial synonymous with it)? That's Rick. He's also an alumnus of John Mayall, Bonnie Raitt, Roger McGuinn, Jackson Browne, and Fleetwood Mac, among others. But, thankfully, he's no one's sideman these days.
This is without doubt one of the best guitar albums of the year – or best albums, period, for that matter. Its nine originals, one collaboration and three covers demonstrate Vito's mastery in several modes without sounding like a sampler/resume. His distorted swing lines on "Blues Town" are in a league with Junior Watson or the late Hollywood Fats. "The Ways Of Sin" wraps staccato Django lines, electric slide, and a horn line reminiscent of "Sixteen Tons" into a hip little package. Meanwhile, "Can't Stop Rockin" is an instant classic - barreling forward like a freight train.
The title instrumental, with a simple but infectious up-and-down melody, would sound at home in a classic Warner Brothers cartoon - sort of Raymond Scott meets Bireli Lagrene. Vito's sense of whimsy surfaces on tributes to Louis Jordan and '50s pinup Bettie Page, while "Gypsy Serenade" sounds like a beautiful new Django ballad - no mean feat. And whether on acoustic or electric, clean or distorted, the array of tones Vito extracts from various six-strings is as cool as the licks themselves.
If you're not curious by now, go to rickvito.com and prepare to be blown away - DF



Band Box Boogie
(Guitar Techniques Album of the Month - 5 stars)
From September 2003

One time Fleetwood Mac guitarist Rick Vito hits 2003 With an album that took our breath away from track one. From the opener, Rhythm, it is immediately obvious that Rick is intent on capturing that amazing '30s Big Band sound, a theme that is sprinkled throughout - when you hear Last Chance To Mambo you won't able to keep those hips still - a sound that when done as well as this will never date.
But there's also some superb blues (Baby's In The Big House, the heartfelt tale of a man's love for a woman in prison, will bring a big smile to your face) and a couple of solo tracks that are not just a showcase for his obvious skill, but darn good tunes – you’ll be doing you best to work them out for weeks.
Best Bit? The Django-esque title track. Now where can we get some fingers like those! *****

Band Box Boogie
(From September 2004)

In this swinging release, jumpblues and slide ace Rick Vito revisits the sounds he heard booming from Rock-ola and Seeburg jukeboxes while growing up on the East Coast. Whether paying tribute to Django Reinhardt, Charlie Christian, Les Paul, B.B. King, or Earl Hooker, Vito has the tone and vibe wired. Distorted P-90 blues licks, snarling bottleneck fills, and jivey, slapback-drenched riffs abound, and Vito sings about Cadillacs, loose women, jail, and gambling-essential rockin' topics-with humor and verve. Plucked on an acoustic, Vito's snappy Gypsy-jazz lines add a Continental flair to this toneful outing. Streamliner. -Andy Ellis

 

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