2024 – AVA Records
By Phillip
Smith; Nov. 21,
2024
Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com
The Fury by Antonio Vergara is one of the 2025 Grammy-nominated
releases for Best Contemporary Blues Album. From the first song of this
thirteen-track original masterpiece, I surrender my utmost attention in return
for a one-of-a-kind mystical blues journey. Engineer/producer/multi-instrumentalist/vocalist
Vergara boasts a career which has stretched over three decades, and the
innovation and passion poured into this album definitely shows.
A tribal beat ushers the
record in with “My Lucky Mojo” as Vergara’s melodic vocals float
skyward. As soon as I hear him unleash his guitar, I knew this album was going
to be absolutely amazing. “Delta Shine” encapsulates me with its riveting
intro. The song is filled with unexpected treats within the groove. Vergara,
with resonator guitar in hand, takes the listener for a walk through a Mississippi
delta swamp on “Hoodoo”. An awe-inspired harmonica accompaniment is the icing
on the cake. The horn-infused deep-blues groove which carries “Guitar Tree” pops
like a secret hoedown in the dark delta woods. World-class Afro-fusion artist Tito
Da Fire lends his voice to the spaghetti-western-friendly ballad “The
Rebel’s Right”. I love how the song unravels into a furious guitar-heavy flurry
of spoken word. Vergara cleverly brings The Fury to its final
destination with “Outro”, a nearly fifteen-minute meditative experience filled
with Native American chants, voodoo-inspired sound-bites, and the mysterious
sounds of nighttime in the boondocks.
The Fury takes the Blues, bursts through to the other side and
sticks the landing. It is a remarkable listen. I highly recommend it to all
music fans.
---
.jpg)
