Blues

Coco Montoya - Hard Truth (2017)

2017-04-02T11:37:16Z

Coco Montoya - Hard Truth (2017)


1. Before the Bullets Fly 3:13
2. I Want To Shout About It 3:40
3. Lost In The Bottle 4:48
4. Old Habits Are Hard To Break 5:36
5. I’ll Find Someone Who Will 5:40
6. Devil Don’t Sleep 5:03
7. The Moon Is Full 5:23
8. Hard As Hell 4:42
9. ‘Bout To Make Me Leave Home (3:42)
10. Where Can A Man Go From Here? (5:02)
11. Truth Be Told (5:06)

Coco Montoya - Guitar and Vocals
Mike Finnigan - Keyboards
Billy Watts - Rhythm Guitar (Tracks 1, 5, 6, 8, 11)
Johnny Lee Schell - Rhythm Guitar (Tracks 2, 3, 4, 7, 9, 10), Slide Guitar (Track 6)
Bob Glaub - Bass
Tony Braunagel - Drums
Lee Roy Parnell - Slide Guitar (Track 3)
Background Vocals by: 
Teresa James, Deb Ryder and Billy Watts (Track 5)
Teresa James, Deb Ryder, Mike Finnigan and Billy Watts (Track 6)
Mike Finnigan and Billy Watts (Tracks 9, 11)

Listening to Coco Montoya’s wailing, hard-edged guitar blaze away, you’d never guess that Montoya played primarily as a drummer for the late Albert Collins. Stimulated by an Albert King performance in 1969, with Collins as a mentor and main source of encouragement, Montoya took to the guitar (his second instrument since age 11) with a passion, honing his skills with John Mayall’s (another great mentor) Bluesbreakers for a decade before launching his own solo career 24 years ago. This is his ninth solo effort as a bandleader.

Funny, just about every fifth new blues release I’ve picked up in the last few months has Tony Braunagel as producer. Here’s Tony again with his stellar cast of LA-based musicians like Mike Finnegan on keys, Johnny Lee Schell and Billy Watts as rhythm guitarists, Bob Glaub on bass, Braunagel on drums and background vocalists ( solo artists in their own right) Deb Ryder and Teresa James. Lee Roy Parnell guests on “Lost in the Battle.”

This marks Montoya’s return to Alligator records, for whom he recorded between 2000 and 2007. What sets Montoya apart from other guitarists in this genre is the unpredictability of his spiraling solos combined with full bodied tone. His vocals carry equal fury and passion. Montoya is most often engaged in song interpretation rather than writing originals, of which there are two among the eleven songs. Highlights include his takes on Warren Haynes’ “Before the Bullets Fly,” Ronnie Earl’s “I Want to Shout About It” and the Marshall Chapman /John Hiatt co-penned “Old Habits Are hard to Break.” It’s almost uncanny how much he sounds like Mayall in his phrasing when listening to some of these tunes.

As with all of his albums, Montoya nods to Albert Collins, here covering “The Moon Is Full.” Montoya does this carefully. “One of the things Albert taught me is to interpret a song your own way.” Montoya says. “He was never impressed with people who would imitate him note for note.” Count on Coco to do it his way. Montoya’s intensity carries throughout the album, recalling for me his intense, live performances where he often solos with his eyes closed, finding spirituality in his guitar playing, not unlike Carlos Santana.

Welcome back to Alligator, Carlos. Listen up and catch him live when you can. —Jim Hynes, elmoremagazine.com

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Coco Montoya - Ya Think Id Know Better (1996)

2012-07-21T16:30:19Z

Coco Montoya - Ya Think Id Know Better (1996)


01 - Monkey see, monkey do
02 - Seven desires
03 - Hiding place
04 - The heart of soul
05 - Tumbleweed
06 - Fool in love
07 - Can't get my ass in gear
08 - You'd think i'd know better by now
09 - Big boy pete
10 - Too much of a good thing
11 - Dyin' flu

Coco Montoya (vocals, guitar); 
Ernie Cate (vocals); 
Lee Roy Parnell (guitar, slide guitar, background vocals); 
Earl Cate (guitar, background vocals); 
Michael Toles (guitar); 
Benny Yee (piano, organ, keyboards); 
Ernest Williamson (keyboards); 
Steve Ehrmann (bass, background vocals); 
Dave Smith (bass); 
Marty Binder (drums, percussion); 
Steve Potts (drums); 
William Brown, Bertrand Brown (background vocals).

With his second album Ya Think I'd Know Better, Coco Montoya ditches the guest stars and opts for a menu of pure, unadulterated Montoya. The results are quite impressive, to say the least. For the moment, overlook his somewhat pedestrian vocals and just concentrate on his scintillating guitar work. It's no secret that Montoya cultivated a reputation as one of the finest guitarists of the '80s and '90s through his session work, but even those familiar with his gutsy, electrifying style will be taken aback by the stylistic variety and musical depth on Ya Think I'd Know Better. Montoya even pulls skunk-hot solos out of the most predictable blues-rockers, while his smoldering solos on slower numbers like "Dyin' Flu" are passionate and moving. Best of all, Coco puts down his electric for acoustic romps like the earthy "Hiding Place." In short, Ya Think I'd Know Better answers the question whether Coco Montoya is a vital bluesman for the '90s, and the answer is an emphatic "yes!" --- Thom Owens, allmusic.com

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Coco Montoya – The Essential of Coco Montoya 2009

2011-02-19T19:48:31Z

Coco Montoya – The Essential of Coco Montoya (2009)


1. Fear No Evil	3:50
2. Am I Losing You	6:41
3. Seven Desires	4:15
4. Sending Me Angels	4:41
5. Too Much Water	4:00
6. Monkey See, Monkey Do	4:10          play
7. Do What You Want To Do	5:05          play
8. Just Let Go		4:54
9. Same Dog		4:46
10. You Don't Love Me	5:09
11. Give It To A Good Man	4:51
12. You'd Think I'd Know Better By Now	5:08

The Essential Coco Montoya presents tracks from the guitarist's initial solo recordings released by Blind Pig in the mid-90's. Montoya, who honed his signature chops as a protégé of modern blues forefathers Albert Collins and John Mayall, personally selected the tracks for this compilation. They document his post-Bluesbreakers entry into the limelight and the beginning of a still running ascendency in the Blues-Rock realm. These recordings, now a decade old, evoke a highly creative place and time in this world-class guitarist's career as he came into his own.

Santa Monica-born guitarist Coco Montoya has been a member of Albert Collins' Icebreakers (as a drummer), and was the first lead guitarist in John Mayall's re-formed Bluesbreakers in 1985. He is, of course, best known as a solo artist with six recordings cut between 1995 and 2007. The reason for the long breaks between albums is simple: endless touring; it's the way a bluesman really makes his money. Blind Pig Records was the first label Montoya recorded on as a solo artist, and he cut three albums for the imprint -- Gotta Mind to Travel, Ya Think I'd Know Better, and the incredible Just Let Go. As such, The Essential Coco Montoya, compiles the essential tracks from his Blind Pig stint. There are a dozen tracks here, all reflecting the more R&B and soul-based approach Montoya's form of the electric blues takes; it is one of the things that makes him fresh and unique -- combined with his stellar singing voice and signature guitar style. This serves him better than it would most post-'80s blues guitarists, who take a far more rock & roll-based approach. The funny thing is, most of the latter claim to be influenced by Stevie Ray Vaughan, but it is Montoya who captures the R&B aspect of Vaughan's music, though it came to him from working with Collins, another Texan. The set kicks off with a stellar version of Robert Ward's "Fear No Evil," where Montoya's voice and guitar are in equal balance with a crack rhythm section of B-3, rhythm guitar, bass, and drums. The band gels and follows his emotive tip to the core of the song. Other great cuts here include the wonderful Earl and Ernie Cate number "Am I Losing You," a wonderful cover of Frankie Miller's "Sending Me Angels," "Too Much Water" (an original), a killer read of Collins' "Do What You Want to Do," the self-penned "Same Dog," and the set closer "You'd Think I'd Know Better by Now," with his slide guitar speaking alongside that throaty, clear-as-a-bell baritone singing voice. Montoya's Blind Pig Records are all in print and worth owning; in fact, they are preferable to his latter Alligator sides because they sound far more natural, warm, and full, without the artificial and grating high end in the guitar level and the overall thin sound that is a label trademark and tends to make its artists sound the same. This is a wonderful compilation, full of killer tracks; it's worthwhile as a mixtape if you already own the individual Blind Pig records, but more importantly, it is a solid introduction to an enigmatic modern bluesman. –--Thom Jurek, allmusic.com

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Coco Montoya - Gotta A Mind To Travel (1995)

2010-07-01T21:21:04Z

Coco Montoya - Gotta A Mind To Travel (1995)


   1. Too Much Water'
   2. Gotta A Mind To Travel
   3. Talkin' Woman Blues
   4. Someday After Awhile
   5. Top Of The Hill
   6. Same Dog
   7. Love Jail
   8. You Don't Love Me
   9. Nothin' In The Streets
  10. Am I Losing You'

Personnel: 
Coco Montoya (vocals, guitar); 
Debbie Davies (vocals, guitar, background vocals); 
John Mayall (vocals, harmonica, piano); 
Darrell Leonard, Joe Sublett (horns); 
Benny Yee (piano, organ); Rob Rio (piano); 
Al Kooper, Mike Finnegan (organ); 
Mark Williams (drums, percussion); 
Richard Hayward, Joe Yuele (drums); 
Keillie Rucker (background vocals).

Years of apprenticeship with Albert Collins and John Mayall paid off handsomely for Montoya on this debut effort. Even with help from some famous friends (Debbie Davies, Al Kooper, Richie Hayward [Little Feat], and both former employers), Montoya asserts himself as the focal point. Sadly, this was one of Collins' last studio appearances before his death, playing on the Lowell Fulson-penned "Talking Woman Blues" (commonly known as "Honey Hush"). Although Montoya showcases his massive guitar muscle, it is merely a fraction of the power of his live performances. --- Char Ham, allmusic.com

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Coco Montoya - Dirty Deal (2007)

2010-07-01T12:57:25Z

Coco Montoya - Dirty Deal (2007)


   1. Last Dirty Deal
   2. Three Sides To Every Story
   3. Love Gotcha
   4. How Do You Sleep At Night_
   5. It Takes Time
   6. It's My Own Tears
   7. Coin Operated Love
   8. Clean Slate
   9. Put The Shoe On The Other Foot
  10. It's All Your Fault
  11. Ain't No Brakeman

Coco Montoya (vocals, guitar); 
Coco Montoya; Paul Barrére (guitar, slide guitar, percussion, background vocals); 
Fred Tackett (guitar); 
Kenny Gradney, Steve Evans (electric bass); 
Tony Stead, Bill Payne (keyboards); 
Randy Hayes, Richie Hayward (drums); 
Roger Cole (percussion, background vocals); 
Ed Kanon (percussion).

At times on Dirty Deal, it's virtually a Little Feat reunion, with five members from the classic lineup helping out on "Three Sides to Every Story," giving it a wonderful, funky momentum. Coco Montoya himself is definitely a better-than-average guitarist and singer when it comes to the R&B/blues axis, although he's at his best on tracks like "How Do You Sleep at Night?" where he has the chance to pull more emotion from his instrument; in this case, more than a touch of bitterness. He's cut from the same cloth as Robert Cray, but without the same soulful subtlety. Montoya is more a shot and a beer than a smooth cocktail. You come away from this with the sense that he holds nothing back, and even a performance in the studio would be sweaty; there's that amount of commitment. And while he may not be one of the guitar gods, when he unleashes a flurry of notes (as on "It Takes Time") he's still a powerhouse. Perhaps the biggest problem is that, although he cranks in all departments, there's very little to really distinguish his music from many others mining the same seam. --- Chris Nickson, allmusic.com

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Coco Montoya - I Want It All Back (2010)

2010-02-24T20:12:59Z

Coco Montoya - I Want It All Back (2010)


01 Hey Senorita 
02 I Want It All Back 
03 Forever 
04 Cry Lonely 
05 As Close As I Have Come 
06 The Life Of My Broken Heart 
07 The One Who Really Loves You 
08 Fannie Mae 
09 Don't Go Makin' Plans 
10 She's Gonna Need Somebody 
11 Somebody's Baby

Backing Vocals – Jeff Paris (tracks: 1 to 3, 8, 10), Keb' Mo' (tracks: 6, 11), Nikki Crawford (tracks: 6)
Bass – Reggie McBride
Drums – Gorden Campbell (tracks: 9), Stephen Ferrone (tracks: 1 to 8, 10, 11)
Guitar – Jeff Paris (tracks: 2, 6, 10)
Guitar, Lead Vocals – Coco Montoya
Harmonica – Rod Piazza (tracks: 8)
Keyboards [Kurzweil PC2 Horns] – Jeff Paris (tracks: 9)
Keyboards [Kurzweil PC2 Synth Voices] – Jeff Paris (tracks: 11)
Keyboards [Yamaha S90ES] – Jeff Paris
Organ [Hammond B3] – Jeff Paris (tracks: 1, 2, 4 to 6, 8 to 10)
Percussion – Courtney Branch (tracks: 1 to 5, 10), Jeff Paris (tracks: 10)
Piano – Honey Alexander (tracks: 8)
Rhythm Guitar – Keb' Mo'
Saxophone – Paulie Cerra (tracks: 6)
Soloist, Saxophone – Paulie Cerra (tracks: 11)
Strings – Jeff Paris (tracks: 7)

West coast bluesman Coco Montoya has been known as a major guitar threat for years -- we are, after all, talking about a guy who learned at the feet of Albert Collins -- but after all this time spent focused on pursuing the blues fret-burner path, Montoya shows a new side of himself on I Want It All Back. There's plenty of piercingly lyrical guitar work, of course, but it's Montoya the singer who emerges as the dominant figure in these sessions, leaning into a smooth, soulful lilt that's not a million miles away from the sound of Los Lobos lead vocalist David Hidalgo. Not only that, Montoya is letting this cool-crooning approach lead him down different musical avenues, as well. I Want It All Back is ultimately as much a soul album as it is a blues offering, mixing original R&B-based tunes with bluesy versions of the Smokey Robinson-penned "The One Who Really Loves You" and the old Marvelettes tune "Forever," among others. It's on the barroom shuffle of the Buster Brown blues standard "Fannie Mae" and the funky syncopation of Montoya's own "Don't Go Makin' Plans" that the Montoya you know from years past makes his presence known most obviously, but whether or not you need reminding of his straight-up blues prowess, he manages to move easily between blues and R&B here. Of course, it doesn't hurt that he's surrounded by some heavy company. The album is co-produced by none other than Keb' Mo', who also contributes rhythm guitar throughout, and everyone from blues harmonica ace Rod Piazza to Tom Petty drummer Stephen Ferrone turns up in support of Montoya's big shift here. If you're a blues purist who demands a straight 12-bar I-IV-V with a shuffle beat on every tune, you'll likely be put off by I Want It All Back, but if you're open to a little R&B in your blues, you're probably ready for Montoya's new groove. ---James Allen, AllMusic Review

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