There are probably a million guitarists plying their trade in the bars and venues of the USA, some playing Blues, some rock, some country – probably even some Latino. Of the Blues guitarists, there are probably five thousand or so who can be described as ‘up and coming’ and of that 5000 or so there are probably less than a hundred who are worth othering to give five minutes of your time to.
I listened to this new album from Matias Lattin all the way through, that’s 35 minutes give or take. Then I listened through it again and then I started to listen to individual tracks. And then I listened to it all the way through again. This young man from Houston Tx is definitely worth giving your time to.
He is a very talented young guitarist, with touches of BB & Freddie in his style along with a fine, soulful voice. He also won the International Blues Challenge in 2023. He writes well – all the songs here – and he even produced this himself. The result is an album of excellent Blues with some rocky numbers and a touch of soul to sweeten the pot.
The album opens with a sweet Blues piece in ‘Who’s Been Loving On You’, showing his guitar chops and that sassy voice. ‘Lose Some Weight’ carries the theme on with some fine keyboards in the back (there is a live version of it here too). ‘2nd Degree’ is a bonkers rock piece that has a dark and bone-jarring riff – great solo too. My favourite though, is ‘You Know This Won’t Do’. A jazzy Blues with a great horn break by Kyle Turner.
Nothing I’ve never heard before but done very well and a grand debut.
