From the Root

Album review

Zac Harmon follows up his live album Shot in the Kill Zone with this studio effort, furthering his rough-and-ready blues persona. As a guitarist/vocalist, Harmon is in his element on this original set of tunes that proves he's ready for blues-rock prime-time beyond cover tunes. Harmon's strong vocal presence is hard to pin down with a specific influence, but he's completely convincing as a soulful man, lover's crooner, or hardcore get-down performer. Harmon has written some themes -- like "The Older Woman," with full sound complemented by a horn section, and "Want Ads," where he's been missing his ex so much that he's puttin' it in the classifieds -- that certainly reflect real modern-day life in a media-driven society. He also looks back at the urban blues tradition during songs like "Hattie Mae," in a rock base merging with a classic like "Wang Dang Doodle," and "Keep the Blues Alive," which parallels the famous tune "Help Me." For his other side, Harmon offers sweet soul à la Otis Redding or a little reggae mixed into his blues, but mainly thrives on funky heavy rock, especially during a stompdown original, "Honey Bee," in an upbeat mood for his gal. Of particular interest to those who enjoy blues harmonica, Jimmy Z. is consistently driving all the points home, while keyboardist/producer/co-songwriter Christopher Troy also deserves due credit for energizing the leader to the upper heights. If hard-driving, honest, no-nonsense contemporary music mindful of urban South Side Chicago tradition is your favorite kind of blues, then quite likely Zac Harmon is your main man.
© Michael G. Nastos /TiVo