Review by Richard Henry for MPM
Well now, one of my heroes is playing my hometown, so I am all over this, having the privilege of interviewing Mr. Kotzen in the afternoon and witnessing soundcheck, I knew tonight was going to be awesome, up first this evening…
The Davy K Project
Long Open Road
Right off this is a Texas boogie style stomper, very much in the style of a certain Mr. Moore, love the shuffle beat backing from Marty, some nice bass work as well from Mark, but all eyes are on Mr. Kerrigan, strong vocal and a great guitar sound, then when it comes to the solo a nice walking bass line comes in and some nice playing there from Davy, really nice little motif part as well, nice little tapping part as well as some nice swampy blues licks, little quote of a famous Allman Brothers song in there as well for those in the know, great opener!
The Storm
Almost ZZ Top drum intro there, and yeah that riff is indeed a little bit of Texas right there, that’s a really nice chorus with the shifting chords over it, it’s a very grooving number for sure, nice biting solo there and again a lovely bit of bass work under the solo before we bring it back down again for that intro riff, it’s just a great little rocker of a song, outro solo from Mr. K, bring the shred for this one as the song rides out, great track!
Lockdown
Nice riff to start this one and love the unison with the bas to add a bit of weight to it, again it’s a very sort of Gary Moore vibe, really with the vocal as well, I love the chords just hanging over the bassline as well, lovely phrasing on that solo as well, and a few choice licks in there as well, I think Davy has been listening to a certain Mr. Lukather a bit with some of that solo, I love the groove of this one, nice little rocker!
Can’t Do Right
This one gives me Deep Purple vibes right away with that riff, that’s Blackmore ala Storm Bringer or something, then it gets funky for the verse, the band really grooves away as well and they are on the money, nice middle section as well and some nice little bass parts in there, lovely solo comes in right there, again a bit of Lukather style action in there and a bit of a mad tapping run, lovely stuff, really liked this track!
Smokin Gun
We change guitars for this one and this track really sort of reminds me of a guy called Justin Johnson, it’s a really in the delta sort of track, sort of like Joey Landreth and Ariel Posen idea, I really liked the way this one split up the set and sort of after the last few songs that where more full on this one was more even like Steve Earle sort of Copperhead Road vibe, there is some really nice bass playing from Mark on the middle section of this one, the solo is a good bit more laid back on this one, then back into a quiet verse, great track!
Whiskey Road
Last track from the guys tonight, and we pick it up a bit, a nice sliding riff from Davy and back into that hard groove again for this one, great vocals all night from Mr. K and this one’s no different but when you’re playing as much as this man, you’re going to be a well-oiled machine, nice tapping part right there and then a bit of fast picking and some bluesy runs, lovely melodic parts as well, then a really nice bass and drum groove to come out of the solo, great tack to close with!
If you haven’t heard Davy K, pop over to his website and pick up a cd, worth a listen for sure! Home (davyk.net)
Richie Kotzen
I am just putting on record that I ran in and stood right in front of where Richie was going to be so I didn’t miss anything!!
Losing My Mind
There they are, bit of a jam intro and then boom, we are straight into the first track off 2004’s Get Up album, and as expected the guy hits the mic and there it is, that golden voice just comes out, way up there and not missing a note, then the solo, we get a nice little bluesy run and some open string pull offs before he unleashes a serious lick at the end of the solo before he comes back in with the vocal, then back to a Wah drenched chord part before the song is by us!
War paint
This one is from the Essential Collection cd from 2014, and right away you have the thing that makes Richie the artist he is, this one is totally different from the song before it, almost like a swampy soul/blues song, the riff has that blues feel but the vocal is pure soul, I mean he has a voice, that’s for sure, its captivating live, that riff with the bass and guitar and Richie adding the Wah just before that chorus is just so cool, there is really hard riff just after that second chorus that is really heavy, then the Leslie sound comes on and bassist Dylan is really playing all over it back there, then the solo hits, lovely bends and some great jazzy phrasing in there as he climbs up the neck then a flurry of notes come our way while Dylan is really going ape as well but still holding it down, drummer Kyle and him are a potent section, a lovely tapping guitar part then it gets really notey before it slaps back into that riff again and we are out!
Fooled Again
I love this track, from 2007s Go Faster album, this has made my night that it’s in the set, again really nice work from Dylan laying it down and letting Richie play a bit of a solo before coming in with the vocal, really soulful vocal in between the breaks then it just builds with that riff with the guitar line before it hits that massive chorus which I was singing along with, some vocal acrobatics in there as well jus for good measure, then to the Wah for the solo, lovely octave sliding part in there before some really gritty bends and some seriously stretchy licks before we hit that fantastic chorus again, then we get an outro solo that Richie is scat singing along with for the first part of it, super melodic vocal ideas before it starts to build up and get more notey and a bit of sweeping and tapping going on in there, terrifying technique when you see it up close!
Dogs
Off to the latest album 50 for 50, which some people don’t write 50 songs in 10 years in some bands, this guy just did it to celebrate his 50th birthday, now this one sounds different live, the album had I think Rhodes piano on it, so was really interesting to hear this done as a trio format, this has a really slinky R&B feel to the vocal for sure and also the actual feel of the song, almost like a 90s Jodeci sort of vibe, again after hearing about the George Benson influence I can really hear it when he scat sings those little parts, that’s a super melodic intro to that solo, backed way off the gain and just a lovely lesson in phrasing a solo right there, the solo nearer the end has a real gritty down and dirty blues feel, lot more gain now and there are some lovely repeating pattern licks in there and loads of great bends and phrasing as well, yet again Dylan really getting up there and playing some interesting stuff around the solo, then it breaks down to a side stick and the whole dynamics of the band drop till the end of the track!
Bad Situation
Thats a really nice bass line to start this one off, this is from the 24 hours album, again that’s a real four to the floor stomping groove for this with Richie playing little cool funky rhythm parts around the groove that Dylan and Kyle are holding down, can we just talk about this man’s voice, silky smooth and sexy and then just the right amount of grit when needed, also some great backing singing from the other two guys in a load of these songs as well, the middle section when you get a bit more distortion on the guitar then sort of breaks to Richie hitting the vocal and bringing back into the chorus again, again a really nice tasty solo, no flash licks to start with just a load of melody then a bit more notes and more and then he has a mad flurry of legato and tapping before coming back to some lovely bluesy phrasing before he plays an absolutely mental arpeggio line before the song comes to a close, nuts!!
Fear
Well, that’s a Bonham drum intro right there, all the way back to 2006s Into the Black album for this one, but the song once it comes in is a lot more soul vibe then when it hits the chorus it really lifts up, it’s a hard song to peg, it has a real soulful vibe and like an early 60s feel, well to me anyway, that middle section has now a Cornell vibe to the vocal but that’s a modern comparison when he sounded like this for the last 30 odd years, love the vibe effect as the next part comes in as a solo break, that vocal is seriously good and he’s way up there as well, then into the solo, lots of gritty blues phrasing to start this one off and then a few really nice climbing licks, but it has a real swampy vibe, really cool Hendrix style octave bits in there with the vibe on, really nice long outro solo to this one that gives Richie a chance to put his head back and close his eyes and really stretch out, before Dylan gets to really play with the groove underneath and add chords and some really cool runs as Richie starts to get more jazzy with his phrasing and runs as he has backed the gain way off, then they start to build it back up again, the band has a really great flow to them as well, just everything is locked in, considering they improve a lot its top class the way they are carrying out the end of this song, it’s really elastic and playing off each other!
Love is Blind
Back to 2011s 24 Hours album, love that intro riff with the chord’s way up the neck and Richie and the guitar for a bit before that delicious groove comes in with the riff with the sliding part, the breaks with just vocals and drums make you realize how hard he is pushing the vocal, again the backing vocals from Kyle and Dylan are fantastic as well, and easy to miss if you are focused on Richie, but they are super in harmony with each other, the little middle section with the really Hendrix sliding chords is lovely, then it has a break with the bass getting up there and Richie hitting the Leslie before a massive bend to start the solo, really nice phrasing and a lovely line to finish before we are at the chorus again, lovely track!
Doing What the Devil Says to Do
Back to 2006s Into the Black album again for this one, that chord progression is very Dark Side sounding, Dylan is getting a proper bass solo at the start of this one, and he has a great Jaco style tone for it as well, some lovely note choices, I have said it before, but the vocal in that chorus is just so good, just the right amount of grit in there, then when he hits the chorus he goes way up there in range and has some lovely backing from Kyle and Dylan as well, and again we have a bass solo, loads of fast runs and bends in there before it breaks and the clean guitar and vocals come in before the band reenters the song, the solo just climbs in there and just after a few notes the band bring it right down into a lovely groove that Richie backs off the gain and plays some lovely blues runs in there, and you know he is going to keep stretching it out, then he throws in some almost country sounding licks in there, all the time we are building in intensity, before boom we are back to the chorus again, then it just comes right down and Richie shows off the vocal chops at the end of the track, outstanding!!
Help Me
Back to the 2011, 24 Hours album again for this one, and that is one funky riff at the start of it, that’s a lovely bass line over the verse, lots of funk, slap and pop on the bass, even when you hit the pre-chorus it’s almost like James Brown or something, then the chorus comes in and it’s a proper soul style part even the vocals, they climb way up there, then a lovely unison riff comes in after that and then a blistering solo, some lovely pull off licks in there as well, then back to the funk with the vocals and the breaks, super high falsetto in the last chorus of that one, that was way up there, back into that unison part again, before some more slap bass with Dylan front and center of the stage, then Richie sort of plays fill lines in around as the groove is so deep, then the stab chords come in and we are grooving, then some crazy chicken picking as we build up into another solo then back into the chorus again with a half time feel, that’s a lesson in building up and deconstructing a track a few different ways by a band absolutely locked in and on fire!
Peace Sign
The title track of the 2009 album, that’s a really lovely riff although how he is singing and playing over it, it’s so busy, but yet the way he sort of scat sings the line and follows it on the guitar is fantastic, then into a great chorus part, lovely tapping part there before hitting that riff again, then a Wah drenched octave slide before hitting a really soaring melodic solo, building and building but really gritty then into that unison riff again and back into the chorus part, into a more notey solo that builds back into that unison intro, then into a crash before the clean guitar comes in again and a lovely rhythm part, as it builds up again into a really screaming solo, then the band hits a groove and Richie is off again, loads of those stretchy licks where he is pulling the other string as well, its lovely to watch him just stretch and improv, this song wont sound like this the next night as he doesn’t like playing the same things , the groove changing around the solo as well.
Now guitar players, how many of you noticed that Richie played a verse from Shape of Things from the Gary Moore version of the track, right at the end of Peace Sign, I thought that was a great touch, and I hope everyone noticed that little tribute, well played sir!
Remember
Back to 2004s Get Up album, now if he does have “a hit” it’s probably this song right here, a real ballad, a proper soul track, this is like a Prince song really when you think about it, really lovely delicate vocal in the verse, full of vulnerability and emotion, grit when its needed, lovely falsetto part, then a really soft delicate chorus as well, that solo when he hits that first note is just screaming and then he backs it down as the band plays with the dynamics of the song, it’s a lovely blues solo, full of longing before Richie comes back in with the vocals and then back into the chorus again, then a more distorted solo comes in at the end, just full of expression and beautiful phrasing, and again some really nice choice of bass notes from Dylan under it as well, then it just breaks to the vocal and clean guitar and side stick groove as the song stops to Richie just singing on his own till the song is done.
Go Faster
The title track of the 2007 album, this is a really funky little riff to kick it off and a nasty groove from Dylan and Kyle as it kicks in, some lovely slap bass parts as well under Richie’s intro solo on this, the band just building and building, that riff and groove is just a jackhammer, the vocals are stratospheric and we are an hour into the set, that chorus part with them all singing is absolutely class, it’s such an almost pop chorus and totally singable as well, then the solo comes in and he is off again although its short and sweet and then we are back into that chorus line again, bit of double bass from Kyle to end that one!
You Can’t Save Me
From 2006s Into the Black, and I love this track, this was a really dark track, I remember thinking that when I got the album, that guitar and vocal and then the single floor tom hit then the vocal climbs into the second part of the verse, that’s a tough song to sing at the end of the set, it doesn’t let up until you get to the second verse and even at that it’s only the first part of it you get a break, now i did sing along with him in the chorus so apologies to all around me, again lovely harmony vocals from the guys in the middle section of this one, and that is it, one hour and fifteen minutes is over like that!
Now there is only one show left in London on the 13th July, if you don’t have a ticket, get one, this was a band on fire, the way they controlled the dynamics of the set and played together was fantastic, and as far as Richie, I have been listening to him since 1991, this was my first time seeing him and he was absolutely incredible, the voice, the playing and not to mention he is an absolute gentleman (see my interview on Metal Planet), I hope I get to see him again really soon because he is just incredible!
Photography by Darren McVeigh for MPM
