JASON RICCI & NEW BLOOD Source: TypeMforMusic.com Date: 03/2008 Writer: Sheldon Robertson

Harmonica player Jason Ricci first became known in South Florida for his performing with local blues favourite Frank Ward and the Nucklebusters, and since becoming a national touring act has kept up local appearances at Lake Worth blues club The Bamboo Room. Previously, Ricci and his band New Blood had toured in support of a self-produced first album, "Blood on the Road"; this release boasts noted blues/rock producer John Porter, a multiple Grammy winner, at its helm.

Right from the start, this album has a strong live feel, and opening track "The Rocker" is truth in advertising. This raucous seven-minute wonder captures Ricci and his band firing on all cylinders, yet the track is also notable for the shrewd use of quieter sections to yield a nice dynamic.

The follow-on track, "I'm a New Man", is a pleasantly laid-back number, featuring a tasty solo from guitarist Shawn Starsky. Starsky also shines on his jazzy composition "Dodecahedron", an instrumental featuring a sax solo by Michael Peloquin that is reminiscent of 1970s group The Average White Band.

The album's live feel continues with "Mr. Satan", a track that bursts off the CD, ready for an intimate club stage. Like many of the more memorable tracks, it is a songwriting collaboration between Ricci and Starsky. Yet another track with a great live feel is the uptempo instrumental "The Eternal Is".

On all the vocals, Ricci's gravelly delivery is self-assured, but never more so than on the track "Deliver Us". This song also features probably the best lyrics on the album, ostensibly about 9/11 but in a more general sense also addressing personal responsibility and conflict avoidance. From an instrumental standpoint, the track is noteworthy for the nimble interplay between Ricci and Starsky in the song's coda.

Throughout the album, Ricci's harmonica work is expressive and inventive. "The Blow Zone Layer (Mongoose Nuts Not Possum Pussy)", as fun a track as its unusual title would suggest, includes a quote from the Flintstones cartoon theme song in its harmonica solo. But the achingly sad blues ballad "The Way I Hurt Myself", a track miles away in feel has a similar touch, with Ricci's melancholy solo ending with the opening notes of Beethoven's "Fur Elise". The slow blues also features Starsky seemingly channeling Stevie Ray Vaughn for his blistering guitar solo.

After "Snowflakes and Horses", a healthy dose of foot-stomping, head-bopping blues, and the twilight ballad "Sonja", the album reaches its zenith with its title track, a ten-minute cover of a composition by jazz eccentric Sun Ra. "Rocket Number 9" serves both as a showcase for all four bandmembers and as an opportunity for each musician to stretch himself. Drummer Ron Sutton alternates between raucous pounding for the blues sections with quiet rim shots for the jazzier passages. Bassist Todd "Buck Weed" Edmunds alternates between doubling the harmonica and laying down a nice walking bassline, and gets called out for a solo in the middle of the track. All four musicians contribute to the lunatic vocals, and Ricci supplements his harmonica work with a "nose flute" solo that simply has to be heard to be understood, as words can do it no justice.

Ricci & New Blood keep a busy touring schedule, but this album is an excellent way to tide blues fans over until the next time they're in town.

Edited by Sheldon Robertson

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