Living Blues
There’s something to be said for truth in advertising, so credit veteran bluesman Mick Kolassa for staying true to the title of his latest opus, All Kinds of Blues. As the name implies, it offers a varied array of formative blues styles that mostly share an old school sound. In the process, Kolassa eschews any hint of pretension and opts instead for an authentic roots regimen.
Despite some shifts in sound, the songs segue nicely from one to another, bringing a sense of continuity overall. With 15 albums to his credit, it’s little surprise that he’s able to not only expand the parameters, but also consolidate his efforts within a single set of songs. His joy and enthusiasm create the common bond throughout, with the buoyant and breezy Amy Iodine and the easy yet ecstatic Does Your Mama Know? being but two prime examples. The sturdy brass that enhances Thank You Memphis, an effusive ode to the place he, until recently, called home, the solid strut that defines Eating My Soul and the easy, breezy shuffles that bolster Where Love Takes Me, Somebody Else’s Whiskey, and Too Old to Die Young find him offering due reverence to tradition even as he effectively asserts his own independence.
With 14 songs in total, there’s also ample opportunity to diverge and diversify. Eating My Soul digs deeply into some darker emotions, while I Can’t Sing No Blues Tonight draws on the sound of an early Delta blues that’s underpinned by acoustic guitar and the steady stride of some persuasive piano. That Don’t Mean and Did You Ever Wonder add some messaging to the music, further affirming Kolassa’s engaging attitude. So too, when he ends the album by sharing a personal perspective, courtesy of the acoustic ramble A Yankee Heading Home, he offers added insight into his essential inspiration and those emotions that brought him into those realms early on. It’s both reflective and revealing, each in equal measure.
Ultimately, All Kinds of Blues provides the perfect compendium to sum up a decidedly creative career. Happily, then, one also gets the impression that there’s plenty more stash left in Kolassa’s cache. ~ Lee Zimmerman, Living Blues – Issue #293
The Rock Doctors Hot Wax
This is Mick’s 15th blues album and it’s just all kinds of excellent. Previous records have included a few sub-genres but for the appropriately titled All Kinds Of Blues his intention was to include as many varieties as he could, resulting in one of his most satisfying discs ever.
All Kinds Of Blues swings as it wanders from genre to genre under the blues umbrella. Kolassa is a good singer and fine player, but his sense of humor as a lyricist is to be noted too. This album includes his first song about AI love in Amy Iodine complete with spacy keyboard noises and the sound of an old dial up modem to get the point across. Too Old To Die Young is about coming to terms with aging, and You Bumped Me Again is a funky number about repeated rejection.
All Kinds Of Blues was smartly produced by Jeff Jensen, displaying Kolassa’s love of the blues in all of its styles. It’s got that swing and some jazzy arrangements here too, with funk and soul thrown in for good measure. I have 12 of his albums, and to my ears this is the best one yet. ~ By John Kereiff Features – Music Reviews & Get Off My Lawn!
