Michael Katon - Diablo Boogie (Blues Brewed In Hell!) (2006)

Michael Katon is indeed the ‘Boogie Man From Hell.’ At least that is what I called him after I first met him over 10 years ago. The occasion was an interview for a magazine that I was writing for at the time. I had heard of Michael Katon but didn’t know much about him. After spending a few hours with him I soon realized this cat had a real story to tell (he has jammed with the blues greats and swapped stories with rock legends). We concluded our interview and he gave me a copy of his latest CD at the time, ‘Get On The Boogie Train’, and I was completely blown away as I listened to it in my car on the way home from Hell. Yes folks, he really does live in Hell!

Since that time Katon has continued to blister the paint off the walls of nightclubs and concert halls mesmerizing audiences with his no-holds-barred excursions into guitar-drenched boogie. Why Katon is not more widely recognizied in the United States remains an enigma but his loyal legions of fans across Europe can give witness to the man’s mastery of rockin’ blues. Katon’s music is not for the faint of heart. It is upfront, raw and at the same time refreshing. Here is one artist who does not feel the need (thankfully for all of us) to crank out some overproduced, slick piece of recorded tripe.

What you are currently holding in your hands represents the work of an artist who in many ways has come full circle. This CD, with its stripped down raw intensity presents a reworking of what can only be called ‘Katon Classics.’ It is also exactly what every Michael Katon devotee could ask for. Featuring some monstrous slide guitar work, hypnotic rhythms (it should be mentioned here that longtime Katon accomplice, drummer Jon Eppinga, provides the superb foot-stompin’, head-bobbing beat on the drums) along with Katon’s trademark rough-hewn vocals, this release allows the man to step back and reach forward into his catalog of well-developed material giving these tracks renewed energy.

Right from the start the listener will know they are in for a treat. The title cut, previously released on the album ‘MK’ immediately intones what is ahead with pulse pounding rhythms and jaw-dropping leads. From there it only gets better as the slide-guitar infused numbers from Katon’s past works have been developed into a solid collection of boogie done right; no make that damned right! Tracks like ‘Fried Jalapenos’, ‘The Man From Hell’, and ‘The Devil’s Daughter’ all retain that familiar Katon boogie undertone yet come across with renewed power. It does this release an injustice to not touch on all of the tracks, but space limitations prohibit such a write-up. You the listener will know what I am talking about soon enough.

Suffice to say that ‘Diablo Boogie: Blues Brewed In Hell’ will surely satisfy your slide-guitar, boogie demanding soul. It is raw, yet polished by the equivalent of a guitar gemologist who knows when to let a track shine and when to let it hit you right in the solar plexus like a punch delivered by Mike Tyson.

So, sit back, grab your adult beverage of choice, and crank it up. It’s ‘BOOGIE BREWED IN HELL’ from the Ultimate Boogie Brewmaster!