When bluesman Coco Montoya burst onto the scene during the mid-1990s, many blues fans thought that the fiery guitarist just came out of nowhere. In reality, the mature sound and soulful blues of his 1995 solo debut Gotta Mind To Travel, released by Blind Pig Records, was forged by decades spent playing behind bona-fide legends like the Iceman, Albert Collins, and British blues godfather John Mayall.
The Essential Coco Montoya draws liberally from across all three of Montoya's late-1990s Blind Pig albums, leaning more towards the guitarist's Gotta Mind To Travel and 1997's Just Let Go, less so on his 1996 album Ya Think I'd Know Better. The twelve tracks selected for this retrospective do a fine job of recapping the early period of Montoya's solo career, representing some of his best efforts and ranging, stylistically, from blues and blues-rock to soul and what could honestly be called Southern rock.
The Essential Coco Montoya
"Fear No Evil," for instance, from Just Let Go, is a good ol' fashioned roots-rock rave-up with twangy guitar and a Southern rock flavor that could easily pass for the Outlaws, or maybe .38 Special. With stinging guitarwork, Montoya's hearty vocals, and a hint of gospel-tinged keyboards, "Fear No Evil" could easily pass for 1970s vintage. On the other hand, "Seven Desires" is an energetic rocker with white-hot fretwork, a driving rhythm, and urgent vocals that's just a damn fine blues song.
Montoya has enough confidence in his vocals that he tackles British blue-eyed soulman Frankie Miller's delicate "Sending Me Angels" and pulls it off beautifully. Montoya stretches out his pipes here with a heartfelt effort, his vocals perfectly complimented by subtle brushes of guitar, an emotional high-flying solo, and Ernest Williamson's elegant keyboard fills. The guitarist pays tribute to his friend and mentor, guitar legend Albert Collins, covering the Iceman's slow-burning "Do What You Want To Do" with some fiery licks and growling vocals.
Montoya's Too Much Water
The one complaint that I'd have with The Essential Coco Montoya is that it shines too small a spotlight on Montoya's songwriting skills. Featuring just five Coco-written or co-written tunes, I personally would have liked to have heard more along the lines of "Too Much Water." With blueswoman and talented guitarist Debbie Davies lending some inspired rhythm guitar and backing vocals, "Too Much Water" is a scorching blues weeper with plenty of dark-hued ambience, dancing fretwork, and solid lyrics.
Ditto for Montoya's "You Think I'd Know Better By Now," a swinging, Texas-styled blues tune a la Delbert McClinton, with equal parts Lone Star soul and Lightnin' Hopkins sting. Fretburner Lee Roy Parnell drops by to lay a little nasty slide-guitar down on the track to give it a little more Southern-con-carne flavor.
The Reverend's Bottom Line
Blues fans that have already tuned into Coco Montoya's frequently underrated talents probably have much, if not all of the material offered by The Essential Coco Montoya. For newcomers who discovered the blues guitarist through his more recent Alligator Records releases, however, or for those blues music fans that are totally unfamiliar with Montoya, The Essential Coco Montoya is a great introduction to the sound and skills of this dynamic performer. (Blind Pig Records, released October 20, 2009)
