2020 – Up 2 Zero
By Phillip Smith; Oct. 10, 2020
Following up to his award-winning 2019 album, Peace, Love, & Loud Guitars, Anthony Gomes has master-minded another great album, Containment Blues. This Covid-19 era blues album carries forward that level of excitement which comes with each of Gomes’ albums. His smokey vocals, and guitar prowess shine on each of the eleven all-original tracks. The lineup on this record consists of bassist Jacob Mreen, drummers Chris Whited and Bobby Stone Jr., and keyboardist Gabriel Crespo, along with Hector Ruano on harmonica, Paul Tooley on banjo, Margarita Chernova on violin, and Carolina Teruel on cello.
I love the unbridled energy released on the opening song “Make a Good Man (Wanna Be Bad)”. It’s rhythm, served on a big plate of raw Texas-style blues is reminiscent of classic-era ZZ Top. Gomes’ delivery is indeed top form and segues quite nicely to another favorite “Hell and Half of Georgia”. The groove on this one is fabulously dirty and infectious. A message is sent to misogynists in true rocking fashion as Gomes sings “Stop Calling Women Hoes and Bitches”.
Shifting into balladeer mode, Gomes wears his emotions on his sleeves in the beautiful “This Broken Heart of Mine”. The slow-cooked blues of “No Kinda Love” sounds fantastic. With Ruano accompanying on harp, this one is comfort-food for the blues fan. Gomes takes an interesting philosophical approach in “Let Love Take Care of Love”, a song he co-wrote with Billy Falcon about letting go.
I’ve been a fan of Anthony Gomes for a while now, and I’m so glad to hear these new tracks from him. His unique style of blues-rock continues to impress me more with every album he records, and Containment Blues is no exception.
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For more information about the artist, visit this website: www.anthonygomes.com
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