In 1998, Mike Zito collected the few dollars needed to record his first Blues album in the colours of the city of St Louis: Blue Room. It’s a genre that has lived through poverty, full of rage and electric energy, that seems almost blasphemous and that only fishermen seem to be able to play. Since then, it’s been success after success for the guitarist. Twice nominated for the Blues Music Award and with a dozen albums on his discography, Zito is proud of this first album that radically transformed his life. The re-release of Blue Room celebrates his success from 20 years ago. He enjoys listening to this record as it acts as a flashback to his time of innocence. Opening with a relatively funky number (Hollywood) which is followed by blues-rock riffs on Pull the Trigger, the man who has finally settled in Texas likes to lean on these fatty, rounded notes and powerful chords. His aim: give his listeners an electric shock! Here we find ten tracks including one previously unreleased song; it’s a cover of Elton John’s Rocket Man where electric reverbs bring a flawless eroticism rocked by the crooner's unique voice. With a frenetic, rhythmic performance and intense groove, the bluesman doesn’t hold back. Blue Room is a landmark album, a childhood memory that relieves the artist of his harder years, reminding him that this first album is proof of his bluesman talent. © Anna Coluthe/Qobuz