| Sunshine state singer/songwriter/guitarist, Alex Lopez, returns to his roots for his seventh album Looking For A Change. The guitarist grew up in Cleveland, Ohio home of the rock ‘n’ roll Hall of Fame and was influenced heavily by British invasion and the guitar heroes of the late 60’s and early 70’s. For the new ten-track collection, Lopez pared the production back down to a basic power trio mode, recording with drummer Kana Leimbach and bassist Steve Roberts. The nine new original tracks and one inspired cover bring out the best elements of Page, Clapton, Beck, Hendrix and all those warriors who created the power trio archetype.
Riff-tastic guitar anthem “Train,” opens with a Funk 49 blast of unbridled affection and “More Cowbell” love. The 70’s blues rock celebration continues with the Zeppelin inspired “Whiskey Covered Woman,” as Lopez throws down more Jimmy Page styled leads, and rhythm lines in front of big Bonzo drums from Kana Leimbach. Lopez spells out his love for the music he has dedicated his life to on the driving “Blues They Rock.” The title track, “Looking For A Change,” is another tribute to the New Yardbirds and could have easily been a lost track from Zeppelin 1 thru 4 as each note is a spot-on re-creation of their groundbreaking style that has influenced generations of musicians.
The sweetly swinging “Spanish Blues” recounts a romantic rendezvous in an exotic location and the notion of what could have been before a dramatic Latin rock outro. Lopez softens the rough edges of the twelve bar “Tell Me,” but it’s biting tale of heartache remains at the core of the lowdown blues. The crisp funk groove in ”Wild As The Wind,” is a convincing vehicle for the autobiographical lesson on motivation. The trio trade rhythmic figures emulating a curvy woman’s walk on the slinky funk rocker “She,” before Lopez digs deep into his emotional core on the sultry power ballad “Night Closing In.” One of the most beloved jams from super group Cream, the 1968 classic “Politician,” closes the set with the trio taking on the Jack Bruce tongue in cheek rants with fire and cunning keeping its snide commentary fresh and timely as ever. Looking For A Change is big guitars’ and drums’ fun from Alex Lopez.
Rick J Bowen
|
