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April 2000
– Mike Sanchez Solo – 12th Burnley Blues Festival
/ CD review from Norway
BURNLEY BLUES FESTIVAL,
written by Brian Smith for Blues & Rhythm Magazine.
Sunday night's opener was the wonderful
Mike Sanchez. After fronting the Big Town Playboys for 15
years and kick-starting many a new club and festival (including
the first night at the first Burnley ), Mike has now widened
his occassional solo appearances into a major career re-launch.Rather
than his impact being lessened, alone on a large concert
stage, he was clearly "going for it" and turned
in possibly his finest solo performance ever. Words like
'dynamic' and ' charismatic' always get used, because they
fit him to a ' T '. The guy is quite simply a star and he
put in as varied a one-man show as you'll get - thundering
boogies, blues and R&B ( some his own ), New Orleans
rock & roll, ballads, swamp-pop, some down home guitar
and ( with no incongruity whatever ) a beautifully oily
' La Bamba ' - all sleazy leers and flashing spanish eyes,
making it seem positively filthy ! His solo albums are a
revelation and we wish him all the luck his immense talents
deserve.
CD REVIEW in What's On magazine (May 2000). - MIKE SANCHEZ
Sadly, the Big Town Playboys and Mike
Sanchez parted company right at the end of last year, about
the same time as frontman Sanchez's solo debut ' JUST CAN'T
AFFORD IT '. He's widening the scope , feeding in more of
his own numbers, toying with styles other than hardline
boogie woogie, returning to the guitar ( electric and acoustic
), providing basslines but not entirely relinquishing the
keys. It's a strong statement in terms of songwriting, performance
and production, veering from the fraught lip-quivering balladry
of 'Messed with an angel' (Presley mixes tears with Orbison
) to the opening title track's rumbling rock'n'roll. For
old BTP fans, there's Chuck Berry's ' Brown eyed handsome
man' and Johnny Guitar Watson's 'Cutting in ', stinging
the blues, horns punching the air. Then Sanchez refers back
to the roots provided by his parents, singing in spanish
on Lucho Gatica's 'Sombras' bolero, steeped in high drama,
with minty trumpet crackles. Sanchez also contributes '
Vamos a bailar ', just like a 70's Nu Yorican street anthem,
supremely catchy, guitar twanging, vocal refrain repeated
incessantly. Recommended.
CD REVIEW from Norway, about MIKE SANCHEZ
Written by Rolf Stensletten - writer in the Norwegian R*O*C*K
Magazine - (translated into English by Susan Andersen)
MIKE SANCHEZ – JUST CAN’T AFFORD
IT, (1999) Own published, (P.O. Box 143, Kidderminster,
Worcs. DV10 1YU, England), 14 melodies Time: 48:55
"Just Can't Afford It" shows
that Mike Sanchez can manage remarkable well on his own
after leaving the Big Town Playboys, the band he created
with Ian Jennings in 1984.
The repertoire still catches, with blues you can dance to;
rhythm & blues, steaming boogie woogie and swing, and
also a couple of quick and slow latino tunes. "Sombras"
and "Vamos A Bailar" are two of them. The first
mentioned song, will be a little bit unfamiliar in many
people's ears, but his own song "Vamos A Bailar"
is on the other hand an incredible catchy and quick melody,
where he has put in some elements from the blues. He also
has a reggae version of "Goodnight My Love", but
this song is a little tame and insignificant.
The album's highlight is obviously the two melodies "Just
Can't Afford it" and "Ramblin Boogie", two
steaming selfcomposed songs, that make your dancefoot swing
and make your bloodstream run fast. The title melody gave
me association to the Norwegian bluesman Reidar Larsen.
Good versions of well chosen coversongs like Wynonie Harris's
"Adam Come And Get Your Rib", Roy Miltons' "Waking
Up Baby" and Willie Mabons' "Wow, I Feel So Good"
makes this a great album.
Sanchez' qualities as a boogie pianist are well known, but
on this cd, he is also an outstanding and a specially qualified
guitarist.
The album works perfectly just for listening, but you should
put on your dancingshoes and throw yourself into it!
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