The three members of
Supersonic Blues Machine -- drummer
Kenny Aronoff, bassist
Fabrizio Grossi, and singer/guitarist
Lance Lopez -- share a love of blues that's nearly as large as their love of classic rock. This means their 2016 debut,
West of Flushing South of Frisco, is by no means traditional blues but it is traditional blues-rock, goosed by bits of funk and soul, all wrapped up in a muscular arena rock gloss. Songs are secondary here: it's all about the players, including a long, impressive list of guests, highlighted by
Billy Gibbons,
Warren Haynes,
Chris Duarte, and
Robben Ford. This very list of luminaries reveals how
West of Flushing South of Frisco is targeted at guitarists who love to hear other guitarists play -- listeners who love to hear and feel monster tone. If the songs never really stick -- they all feel like vehicles for vamps and solos -- that doesn't matter much because each track delivers the kind of oversized blooze jams so many guitarists love to play and, occasionally, hear. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine