(Hard Blues Rock) Roy Cox & The BluesKnights - 2 albums - Before I Go (1999), Road To Freedom (2001), MP3, 192 - 320 kbps

Sometimes, when I tell this to people, they remark "so you live in Music City?" My first thought for a response is often "No, I live in Nashville not Austin, Texas". The fact is, that while there are many other US cities whose names may be considered to be synonymous with great music, in reality I am hard pressed to think of one I would choose over Austin. My friend Tommy Cougar from Sweden occasionally makes the trip to Austin to play some dates, and he considers Austin the great "melting pot" of musical styles and influences. Partly because of it geographical location, Austin is truly a crossroads where many musical forms collide. From its numerous artists, one can hear samplings of rock, country, blues, alternative, and several combinations of any and all.
Of the many various forms of music for which Austin is known, my favorite (of course) is their unique blend of blues/rock/country that I have long ago termed as "Texas blues/rock". Stevie Ray may have made it the most famous, but he was by no means its only practitioner. For many years now, Roy Cox (who was at one time a band mate of a young SRV) has been a driving force of this most enjoyable genre of music. Cox's current project "Roy Cox and the BluesKnights" has produced a new CD "Road to Freedom" which ranks as his very best work to date. This is an excellent recording, and hearing it has reminded me again just how much I enjoy this particular style of music.
The CD opens with the title track, which begins with a church type organ prelude, followed about 17 seconds later with what sounds like a pick being scratched over a guitar pickup. This reminds me of the sound of a train just starting to roll out of the station crossing over the first few track joints. You hear what sounds like the train beginning to gain momentum until at about 27 seconds, a guitar sounds the warning of what lies ahead. Then at about 50 seconds of the opening song, the beast comes to life and begins to belch smoke and fire- hot Texas blues/rock style.
Such is the pattern repeated within this recording: hot guitar licks, bass and drums pounding the rhythm, all backing the roadhouse approved vocals of Roy Cox. The 12 songs are all originals, either penned entirely or jointly by Cox, and are first rate indeed. Producer of the CD Tommy Shannon and his long time sidekick Chris Layton make a special guest appearance on the CD which is a nice touch, as this is the Arc Angel/Storyville type of band that fits both of them so very well. No ballads or pop tunes here, just Texas blues/rock at its very best, which is just the way I like it to be. Joining Cox are the most capable BluesKnights: Tony Saracene on lead guitars, "Bonzai" LaRocca on harmonica, Bryan Shaw on keyboards, Scot Ray on Bass, and Arthur Orona on drums.
The title track may be the overall best one on the set, but there are several others that are also worth mentioning: "Cheap Guitar" is a very interesting song, and sounds a bit like "Dire Straights meets Jackson Browne", "I Can't Wait" is a very hot electric boogie, and "In The City" which features Shannon and Layton and "Rattlin' Bones" are hard driving blues/rock, my favorite variety. And last on the set, and certainly not least, is a tremendous tribute "Ballad of John Lee", a most fitting musical biography of the late great Boogie Man. This song alone is worth the price of this exceptionally good CD.
The CD is available through the official Roy Cox web site at www.bluesknights.com . This splendid recording, along with another of my favorite CDs "Way Beyond the Blues" from the Joe Richardson Express, have convinced me to make a trip there soon to catch some of this great music live.

Roy Cox-Guitars, Bass, Vocals
Tony Saracene-Lead Guitars, Slides, Effects
"Bonzai" LaRocca-Harmonicas
Bryan Shaw-Keyboards
Scott "Stingray" Ray-Bass
Arthur "Head" Orona-Drums