MIKE DELACERDA
American Gypsy (Vision Records)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale

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The weather report usually chronicles storms moving into Key West, but the news this time is a storm on its way out of the islands, in the person of guitar shredder extraordinaire Mike Delacerda. Put on his new CD, American Gypsy, and you too will soon be blown away.

Calling on admirers like saxophonist Dicky Landry and pianist Ivan Neville for an assist, Delacerda has put together 16 tracks, blending original material and well-chosen covers, that display his wide ranging talents, encompassing six, twelve, acoustic, electric and resonator guitar work that ranges from sensitive to explosive, and is never less than stunning.

Every slinger eventually attacks Hendrix, but few put a personal stamp on the effort the way Delacerda does on "Are You Experienced." Fewer pay appropriate tribute to George Harrison, but Delacerda does the late Beatle more than justice with "Tribute To George Harrison." "Come On Pt. II" reinvents "Let The Good Times Roll" (with an impressive assist from trumpeter Kermit Ruffins), taking a classic miles beyond its previous horizons.

In fact, that's the key to every track on the album. It's not that Delacerda isn't working in a milieu that's been widely explored time and time again. It's that he expands the horizons of the familiar with the sheer force of his talent, not only as a player, but as an interpreter. He's a pretty damn effective singer, on top of it all.

And he's got a great album to prove it. John Sinclair provides the warning. "Mike Delacerda is a dangerous guitar slinger..." he writes. He's right, but the danger isn't to his audience, it's to his contemporaries who will find the bar set to new heights by American Gypsy.

Track List:

Mean Town Blues * It's Alright, It's OK * Tribute To George Harrison * Sunshine Bridge * Are You Experienced * Blue Moment * Where's The Justice * Song Over The Line * Come On Pt. II * Last Night On Earth * E Harmonic * In Everything Change * Metro Car * Eastern Parkway Station * Apparition Bayou * Born In Time

© 2004 - Shaun Dale