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With it’s impressive roster of world renowned guitarists, Mascot Label Group is the perfect home for Nashville’s JD Simo. Ed van Zijl (CEO of Mascot) recently said…
“In the end it all comes down to the guitar, the instrument I adore. If played right, it is the most expressive tool in music (after the voice of course)”.
Simo has found his rightful place to be, alongside such luminaries as Joe Bonamassa, Walter Trout (who Simo opened for in London), Leslie West, Warren Haynes… the list is endless. The proverbial kid in a candy store it seems. ‘Let Love Show The Way’ is the second album from Simo, but their first for Mascot, and it’s truly a belting monster of an album.
Echoing such classic power trios as The James Gang, Taste, and Cream, Simo go with the trusted formula of guitar, bass and drums, as well as the impassioned vocals from JD Simo himself. Simo initially entered the famed Big House in Macon, Georgia to record some extra tracks for the deluxe version of the album that they had already finished and approved by the label, but the surroundings of the house that The Allman Brothers Band lived in proved inspiring, and Simo ended up cutting a different album there and then, each track recorded live in full unbroken takes.
Raw, powerful and intense, ‘Let Love Show The Way’ should be used as a learning tool for bands starting out to sway them from going down the ‘guitarist-in-one-city-whilst-the- drummer-is-in-another’ route.Live and organic wins hands down every time….
The album opens with a passionate tip of the hat to “The King Of The Slide Guitar”, Elmore James, with a stunning cover of ‘Stranger Blues’, a slow building slice of blues, that gives way to some almighty soloing from JD mid-song. A working guitarist since his early teens, Simo has put in the hours and the miles to indulge himself by paying homage to a true blues giant. ‘Two Timin’ Woman’, and ‘Can’t Say her Name’ are perfect examples of modern day blues rock, that take aspects from an earlier era, and bind them with today’s influences to produce a massive sound. The sound of the album is important, as it’s clear as day that the three band members were all in the same room as it was recorded… a live album without the crowd.
The majority of the album is fast paced. ‘I Lied’ continues the foot-tapping, ass-shaking vibe before giving way to ‘Please’, a glorious three minutes of rhythm and blues with shades of Steve Winwood from his days with Brit legends Traffic. Again, it’s easy to imagine Simo, along with Elad Shapiro on bass and Adam Abrashoff on drums, just wailing away in the kitchen at The Big House, while engineer Nick Worley sits, nodding his head, at the sound desk. Majestical soloing from Simo, who on some of the tracks used Duane Allman’s fabled ’57 Les Paul Goldtop. He posted the video of him playing it on his blog, causing a good friend of mine to cry tears of joy upon seeing it. There’s something about guitars that reduce grown men to quivering masses of jelly. I mean no-one loses their cool over a trumpet or such, but a guitar ?… sheesh.
On an album of many highlights, ‘Long May You Sail’ is a real standout. A swaggering, rough as hell gem of a track, it will have guitar geeks everywhere wetting themselves with some jaw-dropping soloing from Simo, where the guitar sound changes tack on numerous occasions. At points, I even heard some Celtic tinges thrown in there. ‘I’ll Always Be Around’ slows the pace down, but without losing the ferocity or passion, as does ‘Becky’s Last Occupation’, where you can practically hear the guitar smouldering.
The band improvise live onstage with no two shows said to sound alike. The songs take life onstage through monstrous jams, and ‘I’d Rather Die In Vain’ is a song that seems to be born through the simple art of jamming. Weighing in just short of ten minutes, it’s a total mind-fuck of a song, that just when you think that you’ve nailed it down, turns left into some jazz-inspired improv, before restoring the equilibrium with five minutes of frenzied soloing from JD, bold and unpredictable. ‘Aint Doin’ Nothin” has it beat though. An almighty 14 minute long jam, which just simply smokes.
If you want a bit more bang for your buck, then Simo gives you that. An album that has something for everyone, from short, sharp, catchy three minute bangers, to the aforementioned jam sessions, you will get your money’s worth with ‘Let Love Show The Way’.
‘Let Love Show The Way’ is released on January 29th though Mascot Label Group/Provogue. For more info on the band, and how to pre-order, head over towww.simo.fm
And to salivate over some stunning guitars check out www.jdsvintageguitarcorner.tumblr.com
Review by Dave Stott
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