Rick Vito - Crazy Cool (2001)

Over the course of the last decade Rick Vito has established a strong solo recording career, mixing and melding styles to come up with a fresh, unique sound all his own. No matter the vibe - be it the growling pop rock of KING OF HEARTS, his 1992 debut, the more traditionally blues-orientated sway of 98's PINK & BLACK or the swamp-boogie groove of LUCKY DEVILS from 2000 - Vito has always given his heart and soul to his music, stretching and growing, yet at the same time honoring where he has come from and where he has been. That's why CRAZY COOL is such a joy. It's a perfect amalgamation of all of his previous releases, while it's also the most commercial thing he's done since his days in Fleetwood Mac (a group who's vibe is VERY present!). There's also an intimacy to the disc - like you're listening to Vito and friends perform in the studio or at a small club - that is totally captivating. Opening the CD are "Mr. Lucky" and "Going Home", songs penned, respectively, by John Lee Hooker and B.B. King. Vito gives both tracks a reverential spin, while still updating them with his own sound and feel - just the way all great modern bluesmen do! Next up is the pulsating "Rockin' Just To Keep From Cryin'." With it's Robert Cray-meets-John Hiatt vibe, the track features one of Vito's best lead vocals yet, as well as some subdued, but spot-on, guitar work. "No Love In The City" is scorching blues, pure and simple; a Vito original, you could swear it was really an old standard from Chicago, circa 1929. "You Put A Spell On Me" would have fit very nicely on Fleetwood Mac's BEHIND THE MASK album, whatwith it's staccato, in-your-face drumming and smooth, playful lyrics (I can totally hear Christine McVie and Stevie Nicks doing backing vocals on this track!). Vito lets loose with a blast of guitar that is both tasty and understated. "One Short Life" could have also fit on MASK, if mainly for it's Billy Burnette-like qualities. The song's country-tinged melancholy adds a unique balance to the rest of the disc, and Vito's vocal is tender, heartfelt and sincere. Ditto the blues/rockabilly hybrid that is "Everybody Gets Lucky Sometime." Like the little engine that could, this one starts slow, building in intensity as it goes and grows. A really fun track, plain and simple! Next we have two of the CD's best cuts, the rollicking "Money And Love" and the jam-kickin' title track. "Money And Love" is an odd little ditty.....part rockabilly, part power pop, with a touch of blues and a pinch of back porch picking, it starts off sounding like a throwaway session jam - and ends up a rousing little number that you KNOW will be killer live! "Crazy Cool" is pure rock.....loud, in your face and full of attitude. Vito's guitar is smoking, while his vocal makes it clear that he's having a blast! Crazy Cool indeed! Unfortunately, the disc ends on a less than sterling note; the remake of "Love Is Dangerous", while nice, pales in comparison to the original (mark my word, releasing "Love Is Dangerous" as BEHIND THE MASK's first single would have guaranteed that album MUCH greater success!) - this song needs the edge that Stevie Nicks brought to it. Which brings us to another point......while Vito's vocals have improved with each release, they still have a workman-like quality (less here than ever before, though) that, after ten or so songs, causes it all to sort of run together. He needs to break things up with a female duet partner.....say, Nicks or Bonnie Raitt, or at least backing vocals by Rosie Flores. But that's nitpicking. The truth is, CRAZY COOL is a brilliant summation of everywhere Rick Vito has been the last twenty-five years......and, more importantly, where he's going in the future. (amazon)