"Melodic, ripping guitar work and catchy chorus" ~ Blues Matters!

Check out this month's edition of Blues Matters!  They are celebrating their landmark 100th issue and a glowing, insightful review of Shakin' The Dust written by Clive Rawlings is included.  The staff and writers at Blues Matters have always been so supportive of my work and I want to thank them from the bottom of my heart for everything and congratulate them on hitting this milestone.  Click the link and subscribe!   Their name says it all!   

Shakin' The Dust Review ~ by Clive Rawlings

For the uninitiated, Rocky is a Texas guitarist who has been around a good few years, coming to prominence firstly with Black Oak Arkansas, then Buddy Miles BluesBerries and latterly as the last guitarist employed by John Mayall in his Bluesbreakers.  He also released solo albums with the late Larry Samford on vocals to great acclaim.  So, you will gather he's no slouch and it has given me great pleasure to review this new album.  Together with legendary producer, Jim Gaines, this is a cracker from the opening Texas rock of Dictator and the blues rocker, You Pushed Me Too Far, one of many originals with many blues licks.  I should give credit here to the rhythm section of Rocky's son, Rocky Athas II on bass and drummer, Walter Watson.  Texas Girl is great, too, as it kicks off with an amazing intro with Athas' brilliant guitar complimented by a crushing wave of catchy hooks.  Athas puts his own stamp on the Johnny "Guitar" Watson cover, Looking Back, a nice touch being that this version is slowed down somewhat.  I Need Your Love So Bad has been covered by the likes of Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac, but it still sounds the business here, very intense slow blues.  The most important thing in this song is the feeling that you can put in your guitar strings and that is one of the strongest points of Rocky.  It's then back to Rocky's own work again with Not This Time, a melodic rocker again with ripping guitar work and a catchy chorus.  The album ends with the magnificent Hendrix cover, Villanova Junction, in which the guitar naturally takes on the leading role and then Athas is at his best.  All in all, this is a great album in a long list of great albums by this unsung survivor of the Bluesbreakers.  Not that he needs to use that handle.  The man is a legend in his own lunchtime, as the saying goes! 

Shakin' The Dust Unpacks Rocky's Strongest Weapon! Read NOW!

The reviews for Rocky's first album since departing the legendary Bluesbreaker band leader, John Mayall, are coming in from around the world and are unanimous!  Shakin' the Dust "unpacks Rocky's strongest weapon, razor sharp and blistering guitar work"!  Writer Walter Vanheuckelom for Concert Monkey Belgium says "You Pushed Me Too Far" is one of the best songs on the album!  Check it out and play it LOUD!  #TexasStyle

Rocky Athas and Shakin' The Dust Delivers Blistering Guitar!

http://www.rockyathas.com/physical-albums/shakinthedust  

Click here to read the full, original review in Dutch and follow Concert Monkey's excellent recommendations. Thank you, Concert Monkey, Walter Vanheuckelom and all the European music fans!  For our English speaking fans, a translated version of this review appears at the bottom for your convenience.

Rocky Athas is een Amerikaanse gitarist uit Texas. In zijn tienerjaren speelde hij samen gitaar met zijn schoolvriend Stevie Ray Vaughan. Op zijn drieëntwintigste werd hij verkozen bij de beste tien gitaristen in Texas. Thin Lizzy, toch niet de eerste beste band, was zo onder de indruk van het gitaarspel van Rocky Athas tijdens het Mother Blues Festival in Dallas, dat ze er meteen het nummer 'Cocky Rocky' over schreven. In de late jaren zeventig werkte Rocky als sessie muzikant voor Polygram Records in de Memphis Ardent Studios. Daarna was Rocky een tijdje lid van The Southern Rock band Black Oak Arkansas en speelde mee op hun legendarische albums 'Ready As Hell' en 'The Wild Bunch'. In 2002 was hij te horen op 'Blues Berries' van Bobby Miles, de drummer van de Jimmy Hendrix Band Of Gipsy's. De bekende producer Jim Gaines was onder de indruk van de kwaliteiten van Rocky Athas en vond dat Rocky muziek moest maken onder zijn eigen naam. In 2003 verscheen het album 'Miracle' van The Rocky Athas Group, twee jaar later verscheen de opvolger 'Voodoo Moon' en in 2007 verscheen 'Lightning Strikes Twice' en dat was meteen het laatste studio album, want twee jaar later werd Rocky de vaste gitarist bij de Britse blues icoon John Mayall. Als het drukke schema van de nog altijd energieke John Mayall het toelaat, werkt Rocky Athas verder aan zijn eigen carrière. Zo bracht hij in 2014 nog het album 'Let My Guitar Do The Talking... With My Friends' uit. John Mayall, Smoking Joe Kubek en nog wat andere bekende vrienden van Rocky verleenden hun medewerking aan deze cd. In 2015 verscheen 'The Essential Volume I' en in 2016 de opvolger 'The Essential Volume II'. Deze verzamelaars van Rocky's werk zouden hem meer naambekendheid moeten geven in Europa. Op vijftien oktober verscheen Rocky's nieuwe album 'Shakin' The Dust' met daarop elf nummers, die buiten de vier covers allemaal door Rocky Athas geschreven zijn. Producer is de legendarische Jim Gaines.

'Shakin' The Dust' opent met de Texas rocker 'Dictator', waarin Rocky Athas meteen uitpakt met zijn sterkste wapen, namelijk vlijmscherp en verschroeiend snarenwerk. Ook in de bluesrocker 'You Pushed Me Too Far', één van de beste songs op het album, komen de kwaliteiten van Athas als gitarist weer ruimschoots aan bod. Deze 'You Pushed Me Too Far' roept herinneringen op aan Stevie Ray Vaughan. Al meer dan zestig jaar geleden nam Jimmy Reed, het door Calvin Carter geschreven 'I Ain't Got You' op. Het is ondertussen ontelbare keren gecoverd, zelfs door The Rolling Stones en Aerosmith. De versie van Rocky Athas heeft zeker een plaatsje tussen de betere covers en dat komt wederom door zijn fantastisch gitaarwerk. Zoon Rocky Athas II op bas en drummer Walter Watson zorgen voor de heerlijke rock groove. 'Time Flies' is een heerlijke meeslepende rock ballade en de bluesrock shuffle 'Texas Girl' heeft een geweldige gitaar intro. Het langste nummer op het album is de psychedelische ballade 'No More Breath', waarin Rocky weer erg veel gevoel legt in zijn weergaloos snarenwerk.

Athas weet zijn eigen stempel te drukken op de Johnny Guitar Watson cover 'Looking Back'. De Texaan speelt het nummer iets minder snel dan het origineel en dat geeft het nummer een extra touch. In 1955 had Little Willie John al een hit met 'I Need Your Love So Bad', maar het nummer werd onsterfelijk gemaakt in de versies van Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac, Gary Moore en The Allman Brothers. Aan deze heel intense slowblues heeft gitaarvirtuoos Rocky Athas wijselijk niet zoveel verandert. Het belangrijkste in deze song is dan ook het gevoel dat je in je snarenwerk weet te leggen en dat is één van de sterkste punten van deze Texaanse gitarist. Na deze twee erg mooie covers krijgen we met 'Not This Time' weer eigen werk van Rocky. In deze melodieuze rocker is het weer genieten van het scheurend gitaarwerk van Rocky en het catchy refrein nodigt uit om mee te zingen en te dansen. Het album wordt afgesloten met de magistrale, instrumentale Jimmy Hendrix cover 'Villanova Junction' waarin de gitaar vanzelfsprekend weer de hoofdrol op zich neemt en dan is Athas op zijn best. 'Shakin' The Dust' van Rocky Athas is een zeer aangenaam album. Vooral de gitaarliefhebbers zullen erg genieten van deze 'Shakin' The Dust'. (7,5/10)

Walter Vanheuckelom

01. Dictator

02. You Pushed Me Too Far

03. Lifeline

04. I Ain’t Got You

05. Time Flies

06. Texas Girl

07. No More Breath

08. Looking Back

09. Need Your Love So Bad

10. Not This Time

11. Villanova Junction

For our English speaking fans, below is a translated version of the review.  

Rocky Athas is an American guitarist from Texas. In his teens he played guitar together with his school friend Stevie Ray Vaughan. At the age of twenty-three, he was elected by the top ten guitarists in Texas. Thin Lizzy, not the first band, was so impressed by the guitar playing of Rocky Athas during the Mother Blues Festival in Dallas, that they immediately wrote the song 'Cocky Rocky' about it. In the late seventies, Rocky worked as a musician for Polygram Records in the Memphis Ardent Studios. After that Rocky was a member of The Southern Rock band Black Oak Arkansas for a while and played on their legendary albums 'Ready As Hell' and 'The Wild Bunch'. In 2002 he was heard on 'Blues Berries' by Bobby Miles, the drummer of the Jimmy Hendrix Band Of Gipsy's. The well-known producer Jim Gaines was impressed by the qualities of Rocky Athas and found that Rocky had to make music under his own name. In 2003 the album 'Miracle' by The Rocky Athas Group was released, two years later the successor 'Voodoo Moon' appeared and in 2007 'Lightning Strikes Twice' appeared and that was the last studio album, because two years later Rocky became the regular guitarist with the British blues icon John Mayall. If the busy schedule of the still energetic John Mayall permits it, Rocky Athas will continue his own career. In 2014 he released the album 'Let My Guitar Do The Talking ... With My Friends'. John Mayall, Smoking Joe Kubek and some other well-known friends from Rocky lent their cooperation to this CD. In 2015 'The Essential Volume I' was released and in 2016 the successor 'The Essential Volume II'. These collectors of Rocky's work should give him more name recognition in Europe. On the fifteenth of October, Rocky's new album 'Shakin' The Dust 'was released with eleven tracks, all written by Rocky Athas outside the four covers. Producer is the legendary Jim Gaines.

'Shakin' The Dust 'opens with the Texas rocker' Dictator ', in which Rocky Athas immediately unpacks with his strongest weapon, razor sharp and blistering strings. Also in the blues rocker 'You Pushed Me Too Far', one of the best songs on the album, the qualities of Athas as guitarist are again amply discussed. This 'You Pushed Me Too Far' evokes memories of Stevie Ray Vaughan. Jimmy Reed, the 'I Is not Got You' written by Calvin Carter, took over 60 years ago. It has been covered countless times, even by The Rolling Stones and Aerosmith. The version of Rocky Athas certainly has a place among the better covers and that's because of his fantastic guitar work. Son Rocky Athas II on bass and drummer Walter Watson provide the wonderful rock groove. 'Time Flies' is a delightful compelling rock ballad and the blues rock shuffle 'Texas Girl' has a great guitar intro. The longest track on the album is the psychedelic ballad 'No More Breath', in which Rocky again gives a lot of feeling in his unparalleled string work.

Athas has his own stamp on the Johnny Guitar Watson cover 'Looking Back'. The Texan plays the song a bit less fast than the original and that gives the song an extra touch. In 1955, Little Willie John already had a hit with 'I Need Your Love So Bad', but the song was immortalized in the versions of Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac, Gary Moore and The Allman Brothers. The guitar virtuoso Rocky Athas has not changed that much to these very intense slowblues. The most important thing in this song is the feeling that you can put in your strings and that is one of the strongest points of this Texan guitarist. After these two very beautiful covers, we get Rocky's own work again with 'Not This Time'. In this melodic rocker it is again enjoying the ripping guitar work of Rocky and the catchy chorus invites you to sing along and dance. The album ends with the magisterial, instrumental Jimmy Hendrix cover 'Villanova Junction' in which the guitar naturally takes on the leading role and then Athas is at its best. 'Shakin' The Dust 'by Rocky Athas is a very pleasant album. Especially the guitar lovers will really enjoy this' Shakin 'The Dust'. (7.5 / 10)