Todd Wolfe, former guitarist for Carla Olsen and Sheryl Crow, has released the latest in a string of solo albums going back fifteen years.

Occasionally I am given, or come across an artist that I have never heard of before. When this happens I will often dive right into the music without any interest in any other information regarding the artist. This is the case of the Todd Wolfe Band.

This is a blues rock band in the simplest sense. This is certainly not a bad thing. Listening to this album a few points jump right out at me. 1) the vocals of Todd Wolfe are very reminiscent of a young Eric Clapton with a bit of Danny Joe Brown of Molly Hatchet. This I would say is a very good thing!

I am not one to follow the current trends/styles when it comes to blues rock. I love all the old greats, The Stones, Zeppelin, Trower so when I hear music in this general style I instantly compare to those type of bands. I hear a lot of early rock and roll stylings here on Miles To Go. Its overall feel is that of western american blues rock, What I call desert music. I can visualize cruising through the desert in an old rag top, rattlesnake boots and mirrored sunglasses! This is the feel I get from this band. Often the one single determining factor in deciding as to how I feel about a band comes down to that “feel”.

From a musical standpoint, It is definitely blues rock and it is good. These are all good players, obviously very well versed in blues traditions. I hear more of the traditional side of things rather than a more modern feel. Again, this sounds like a really good band you could find in a cool dive bar on a Saturday night just doing their thing. I do not hear a lot of the standard 1-4-5 blues progressions that are so predictable and tired. I hear a lot of different types of chord progressions and it makes for a much more relaxed and enjoyable experience!

Todd is a very good blues player, very cool parts and multiple layers, the playing sounds very natural. So to with the bass playing. Not every song has a purely walking bass line. Justine Gardner does a fabulous job of keeping it moving, often simply cruising along on the root with tasty fills. It adds to the whole “on the road” feel. Drumming is provided by Roger Voss and is rock solid as well.

A very cool blues rock from a noted musician with a lot of history, all of which I will omit as it is irrelevant to the fact that this is a good album all on its own! No hype needed and this comes from a Metal Head.

Todd Wolfe Band online:
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Reprinted from National Rock Review: http://www.nationalrockreview.com/2013/10/23/rewiewtodd-wolfe-band-miles-go/