2014 – Ruf Records
By Phillip Smith;
Nov 8, 2014
Mike Zito and the Wheel played a live gig at the Dosey Doe in The Woodlands, TX to a sold-out crowd on January 10,
2014, and fortunately recorded this exciting event for our enjoyment. Songs
From the Road captures the essence of Zito,
with an extraordinary set list of past favorites, some older and some newer, boasting
five tracks off his most recent studio album, Gone to Texas.
The funky “Don’t Break a Leg”
opens the set. Rob Lee stands out as the fantastic drummer he is, and Jimmy Carter tears it up on sax. Of course, it probably goes without saying; Zito’s guitar playing is amazing. I
love the bands performance on “Hell on Me”. This one has an ominously groovy rhythm
which is very pleasing to the ears.
Again, Zito, simply put,
cooks when it comes to playing guitar. Other
tracks from Gone to Texas include “Rainbow
Bridge”, “Subtraction Blues” and title track, “Gone to Texas”.
I’m so glad “Greyhound” made
the cut for this album. It’s classic rock
in the same style as Jackson Brown and
Bruce Springsteen. The band sounds
big, with Jimmy Carpenter belting
out blasts from his sax, and Lewis
Stephens pounding the keys. I’m also
glad Zito’s cover of Prince’s “Little Red Corvette” made the
cut. Although, the song sounds totally
different than the original, this cool little song still maintains an Eighties
vibe to it, in a “St Elmo’s Fire” kind of way. It’s definitely a treat to hear.
Mike Zito and the Wheel score big with Songs
From the Road. He really is an
amazing artist, and it shows on this album.
