RICK HOLMSTROM
Hydraulic Groove (Tone-Cool)
Reviewed by Eric Steiner

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With artists like Bernard Allison, Rod Piazza, Susan Tedeschi and the North Mississippi All Stars, I'm convinced that Tone-Cool is one of the more reliable sources of new blues music. That's not a contradiction in terms: this label has got a line up that not only showcases some traditional blues in Rod Piazza and Bernard Allison, but also some newfangled work from artists like Rick Holstrom. Hydraulic Groove is Rick's follow-up to his 2000 Tone-Cool disc Gonna Get Wild, and it includes just a little bit of some tasteful electronic sampling a la the new R.L. Burnside school, but it'll warm the hearts of fans of traditional blues and newcomers alike. Producer Rob Schampf's behind the controls, and he's helped Burnside as well as Beck, Elliott Smith, and Foo Fighters, and his deft touch bridges techno with Holstrom's musical apprenticeship with Mississippi bluesman Johnny Dyer. When I'll be toasting my middle-aged birthday of 44 on the 18th of this month, Rick will be celebrating with the CD release party at The Mint in Los Angeles, and it should be quite a party. There's a lot of blues on Hydraulic Groove, from New Orleans to Mississippi and Chicago, and it makes many of these traditional styles sound new.

Track List:

These Roads * Bobo the Hobo * Last to Know * Pee Wee's Nightmare * Shake It, Part 2 * My Maria * Back It Up * Gravy * Harlan Shuffle * Tell Me * I'm Gone * Roll Tape (w/John Medeski) * Shake It, Part 2 (DJ Logic Remix) * Knock Yourself Out (Genome Remix) * Hamp's Hump (w/John Medeski)

© 2002 - Eric Steiner