Peter Veteska & Blues Train - Grass Ain't Greener On The Other Side (2020)

Not to be daunted by the particularly challenging year that is 2020, guitar journeyman Peter Veteska reloaded, regrouped, and recharged his band, Blues Train, to complete his fifth album. “Grass Ain’t Greener On The Other Side,” a 10-song set, is a departure from his previous jazz and funk influences, with the renowned hard-working guitarist going for a purer rock and blues sound.

Peter V and longtime bandmate drummer, Alex D’Agnese, joined forces with rock solid bassist Coo Mo Jhee, and legendary blues, rock, and funk keyboardist, Jeff Levine, who has recorded and toured with Joe Cocker, Hall and Oates, Clarence Clemons, the Chambers Brothers and John Fogerty, to name just a few.

The quartet is joined by special guests, Mikey Junior on vocals and blues harp, powerhouse vocalist Jen Barnes, and Delaware blues guitar veteran Roger Girke. The sessions were expertly engineered by Joseph DeMaio at Shorefire studios in Long Branch, New Jersey capturing the group in a pure wide-open recording, while a hurricane was brewing outside the doors.

The blues party begins with Peter V playing the role of a man bewitched on the slinky rocker ‘Am I Wrong Pretty Baby,’ as Mikey Junior echoes his lyrical desperation with greasy blues harp. The hard-working Jen Barnes, who leads her own band on the Jersey shore, joins Peter for a cover of the 1960 Dinah Washington and Brook Benton hit ‘Baby You’ve Got What It Takes,’ reimagining the swinging tune as a hot guitar driven Texas Blues shuffle that amps up the steamy vocal interplay. The groovy dance track, ‘Running Like A Dog,’ features duel lead lines on Stratocaster and Hammond B-3, showcasing the affective new partnership between Peter V and Levine.

Mikey Junior slips back in with the band for the jam ’I’ve Been Missing You,’ a sweet swinging acoustic blues number. And the whole band stretches out on the Swinging ‘You Give Me Loving,’ before Peter gets sentimental on the rat-pack styled ‘Learning The Blues.’ D’Agnese throws down a great New Orleans boogaloo beat on the other fine dance track ‘Thinking And Drinking.’ Peter enlisted another hard-working musician from the mid-Atlantic region, Roger Girke, to trade vocals and guitar solos on a free-wheeling cover of Ray Charles’ 1958 classic ‘Heartbreaker.’

Blues Train cruises at full steam through a rousing version of the Willie Cobbs’ standard ‘You Don’t Love Me,’ paying homage to the popular extended jam version made famous by the Allman Brothers with roaring organ and guitar solos on the album’s longest track. Peter V closes the set with the title track ‘Grass Ain’t Greener On The Other Side,’ revealing the philosophy behind his rebellious nature and showing off his formidable guitar skills on the album’s dramatic finale.

The drive and determination in the hearts of Peter Veteska & Blues Train have resulted in a strong presentation old and new fans will enjoy. ~Rick J Bowen