MIKE ZITO "PEARL RIVER Source: Blues Revue Magazine Date: 11/2009 Writer: Hal Horowitz

Taken at surface value, there’s little unique about Mike Zito’s sophomore Eclecto Groove effort.  Zito is a gritty guitarist in the Stevie Ray Vaughan tradition who delivers gutsy, soulful vocals and mixes choice covers with his own material.  But that could describe any one of a few dozen similarly talented guitar-slinging bluesmen on today’s scene.

Still, there’s something special that pushes Zito to the forefront of this crowded pack.  Perhaps it’s his dusky vocal style, which combines R&B with blues-belting rock. Or maybe his guitar work is hotter and tougher than it needs to be.  Possibly his covers are cooler, his originals more sharply penned than those by other blues-rockers.  More likely Zito’s magnetic presence is a result of a combination of all these qualities and more.

On Pearl River, everything gels early, starting with the title track.  The ominous ballad, co-written with Cyril Neville (who provides vocals), drifts around the dark historical threads of slavery and oppression that the Louisiana/Mississippi river has seen through the decades.  It’s a stunning piece, and though no other song here quite matches it in terms of menacing muscle and visceral intensity, there’s plenty of talent on display throughout the album..

Neville’s presence spotlights the setting of the sessions, which took place at New Orleans’ Piety Street Studios.  A second line traipse through Sonny Boy Williamson II’s “Eyesight to the Blind”, the appearance of Anders Osborne (on his own lovely, folksy “One Step at a Time”), Susan Cowsill’s vocals also instill the music with Crescent City mojo.  Zito visits Gov’t Mule territory on the creeping “39 Days”, where his voice is an eerie combination of Warren Haynes and Bob Seger.  The strong R&B currents of “C’Mon Baby” close out Pearl river in a tranquil, soulful stream.

Credit also goes to veteran co-producer David Z.  He returns from Zito’s previous release, adding the sonic spice that helps make a good case for Zito as on the finest, most creative musicians on the competitive blues-roots scene.