Review: Anthony Gomes ‘Praise The Loud’
By Charlie Steffens
As a standout in today’s blues-rock category, Anthony Gomes’ fascination with blues and guitar playing began when he picked up the instrument at the age of 14. A Canadian-born singer, guitarist, and songwriter residing in St. Louis, Missouri, Gomes is also a blues historian who can readily discuss the topic of blues lore at length, its progenitors, its regions, and timelines.
His range of influences includes blues greats Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, and B.B. King along with innovative players such as Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix, and Eddie Van Halen from the rock world. In 1998, just after his professional career began, Gomes received Buddy Guy’s Legends “Best Unsigned Blues Band,” an award from Guy’s premiere blues club in Chicago that is conferred upon, well, the best unsigned blues bands. A few albums and many gigs later, a chance encounter in a club with B.B. King’s bus driver led to a face-to-face introduction to King, where Gomes and his band were given the opportunity to open a string of the 2005 B.B. King tour dates.
‘Praise the Loud’ is the 14th studio album from Gomes, the follow-up to his 2022 critically and commercially successful release, ‘High Voltage Blues.’ Recorded at Up 2 Zero Studios in St. Louis, ‘Praise the Loud’ contains 12 new tracks written by Gomes. Three of those tracks were co-written with Grammy Award winning Chicago-area musician Jim Peterik (Survivor, Ides of March). Several guest musicians helped with the recording, along with regular members of the Gomes trio: bassist Jacob Mreen and drummer Chris Whited, providing the distinctive rhythm and groove. Another St. Louisan, producer/engineer Peter Carson, returned to the studio to share co-producing duties with Gomes on this album that transmits an atypical sound for the blues-oriented Gomes—that of hard rocking songs and a shredding guitar.
The title track and first song on the album captures Gomes’ exploding on guitar, juxtaposing crunchy power chords and the skillful use of his wah-wah pedal, belting out vocals with conviction and a heavy metal edge.
Released as the album’s second single (and accompanied by an official music video), “True That,” is a humor-filled, radio-friendly rock tune about a cheater getting their covers pulled. “Listen to me, baby
You know my love’s a crime
I’ve had 20 husbands
But only two of ‘em were mine.”
Co-written with Peterik, this song is an instant classic that offers the jilted and heartbroken a unique way of framing a double-dealing lover.
Tastefully borrowing or certainly paying homage, Gomes’ wide-ranging vocal repertoire employs sounds and techniques from influential acts. For example, “Love Song Gone Wrong” has a vocal reminiscent of Rod Stewart, yet “Inside Out” will remind the listener of “All Right Now” by Free. “Blame It On Rock and Roll” may cause even the most casual listener to wonder if they are hearing an AC-DC song.
This album blurs the lines beautifully between blues and rock, but perhaps that’s not what really concerns Gomes, as much as he seems to care about how the music in all its range and diversity moves the listener.
“True Dat”
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