“CALIFORNISOUL! That’s exactly what it is. It’s the missing soundtrack to a summertime drive from Los Angeles to San Francisco in 1971!” ~ Fabrizio Grossi
Follow this link to read a previous BM article about this release and to hear tracks from Califroisoul.
Supersonic Blues Machine consists of Lance Lopez (Guitars/vocals), Fabrizio Grossi (Bass) and Kenny Aronoff (Drums).
New album ‘Californisoul’ is out on 20th October via Provogue/Mascot Label Group.
The fabulous Fabrizio Grossi talks to Blues Matters about his Top 5 Blues Songs.
Muddy Waters – Mannish Boy
“This song for me is the song that defines the genre! It has everything that you need in a blues song, and then you have Muddy Waters himself on top of it. I don’t know if you can get any more blues than this, it’s always been one of my favourite songs ever!!! It’s heavy, it’s sad, it’s happy, it’s hunting….it could have been 10 minutes longer and still I would never get bored of it!!!
Bobby Blue Bland: Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City
“This song too, it’s another one that hits home. I understand that it’s not traditional blues like Robert Johnson or Elmore James, but it’s ‘soul’ tint, and the sound itself brings it closer to my times and makes it another favourite of mine. I discovered this track thanks to Whitesnake, a few years after they recorded their version of it. Even then I was too young to know it was a cover, but when I got into it… man…this song is one of the reasons why I am a musician and it’s a staple in every Supersonic Blues Machine live show.”
Eric Gales – Carry Yourself
“When Eric showed me the ’embryo’ idea of this song, I knew it was gonna be epic. And that was just the riff, then….it showed when it opens on the 4th….Jesus Lord almighty….it still gives me chills, even after I’ve heard it 1.000.000 times. I know it’s a recent number and people tend to consider the real deal blues, as all the music that was done before the 70’s ….but, honestly, I am not that much of a blues ‘fundamentalist’ to not appreciate the sublime sound Gales delivers on this track. I am sure that in 100 years, people will give this track the same importance they will give to ‘The Thrill Is Gone‘!!!”
Gary Clark Jr. – When My Train Pulls In
“Gary Clarke Jr. is by far my favourite modern bluesman. His songs, his tone, his style, his voice, there’s nothing there that I would touch or change, and this song is just as bad ass as if it was a Freddy King penned one. I had the pleasure of meeting and to work with the man, and he’s as real as it gets, his music ‘don’t‘ lie, and this song’s story makes all the drama in blues lyrics a real staple of Urban Poetry….even if it sounds to me like it came through some Mississippi’s ghost hunting an abandoned Ghost Town train station! Priceless!!!”
BB King – How Blue Can You Get
“I remember first hearing this song during an episode of Sanford And Son. The lyrics are so perfect and borderline country music, and the chords are the typical blues standard but it’s the BB ‘baddest ass‘ vocal performance that takes it to the Mt. Olympus of blues. Because let’s face it, and I know my brother Walter Trout would back me up when I say this, there are millions of noble souls among great blues musicians, but there can only be one King, and BB was it! If I could sing like this dude, I wouldn’t even feel the need to get paid, cuz I’d know I would just be delivering God’s voice!!!
