© Bluestronomical Publishing Inc. 2009

Bluestone Company
Supernatural Delight
Grooveyard #4331002642

The Grooveyard label presents artists whose passion is serious guitar playing. Hosting axemeisters Wes Jeans, Lance Lopez, Randy Hansen, Craig Erickson and many others, the label loudly proclaims "The Guitar Is King In The Grooveyard." This label is a guitar-player's Heaven.

A band worth noting on this label is Bluestone Company. Made up of guitarist Toshihiro Sumitomo, bassist Yoshihiro Ogasahara, drummer Taizo Takafuji and percussionist Taro Takagi, their CD Supernatural Delight is a solid effort of rock, fusion and blues blending the shred histrionics of Joe Satriani and the heavy blues soul of Warren Haynes.

It's risky to release an entire instrumental album. But Supernatural Delight is such a headbanger's affair; you can easily overlook the absence of any vocalist. This is a record of sonic fury. If you're a blues purist, you better go somewhere else. If you grew up listening to the Allman Brothers, Santana and John McLaughlin, you will find all of those styles right here. Only louder and very capable of giving you a migraine.

There are ten tracks here. Most of these songs just kill. It isn't ’til the last track "Desert Blues" these guys decide to take a breather. Dobro guitar lends itself strongly giving it a Middle Eastern flair with heavy crescendos of bottleneck slide. The rest of the songs? Nothing but a heavy onslaught of musical mayhem. Opening track "S.S.S." sets a frantic pace with its over-the-top exploration of fusion-rock. Sumitomo's guitar rises above the brigade of sound that Bluestone creates. "Got Your Spell On Me" has a funky intro that takes off into a Santana-esque jam driven by percussionist Takagi and Sumitomo's stamp of killer Les Paul runs.

Talk about non-stop excitement. You want some Gov't Mule? Well you will have it in "Electric Rainbow." This is slow heavy blues with guitar work coming from the Warren Haynes songbook. Bassist Ogasahara pumps out menacing bass lines that can be heard above an earthquake.

If you’re a guitar junkie wanting to revel in the bliss of rocking bluesy guitar licks, then visit Grooveyard and order this CD. It will be a great wake-up call.

- Gary Weeks -


Southwest Blues CD Review - July 2009

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