MIKE ONESKO’s GUITAR ARMY – The Last Solo (2021)
Singer/guitar slinger Mike Onesko is very well respected musician into the American rock scene, and insiders will know him as part of the Blindside Blues Band, but might also know his project MIKE ONESKO’s GUITAR ARMY. Onesko is an established name for many years now and he has got some more aces up his sleeve like an album with former Accept vocalist David Reece with whom he has been trading song ideas for the near future.
This new record under the banner of Mike Onesko’s Guitar Army is the third in total but as the album title ”The Last Solo” suggests this closes of that chapter for Mike Onesko.
The sauce on this album is being provided by an army of guest guitarists and there are plenty of them. Even legend Mike Varney (the man who signed Blindside Blues Band in 1993 for his Blues Bureau International label) contributes some solo work as does mister Danish dynamite Martin J. Andersen on the track ‘Iron Subway’ with his blistering playing.
Craig Erickson (Glenn Hughes Band) is also present on this CD (‘Loving Her’). The rest of the army consists of guitar shredders that Mike is friends with and it seems that most of them are from the environment of Cleveland.
Together with bass player Eric Kennedy and drummer Holden Szalek, Mike Onesko forms the base of this outfit. These three guys have laid down the foundations for this record with Mike being the main composer, sometimes working together with other songwriters.
‘The Last Solo’ is a robust rock and blues album. Because of the specific sound in Mike’s voice and the song structure of several tracks this album will remind you (at times) of the early Blindside Blues Band days with plenty of cracking guitar work in songs like ‘Fast Lane’, ‘Chains On My Mind’, ‘Poison’ (a highlight for sure), ‘Iron Subway’ or ‘Working Till I Die’.
‘City Of Lights’ is an emotional ballad that brings a bit of extra variation to the album.
‘The Last Solo’ is a super solid and very classic minded hard rock and heavy blues album that is a must for people who like a guitar overload and it is a nice finish to this chapter in Mike’s career. Production is excellent, energetic and clean, another reason to enjoy this rocking CD.
Highly Recommended
01 – Fast Lane
02 – Chains on My Mind
03 – Sabbeck
04 – Poison
05 – City of Lights
06 – Iron Subway
07 – Loving Her
08 – Silver Surfing
09 – Jack Daniels Weekend
10 – Working Til I Die
Mike Onesko – vocals, guitars
Eric Kennedy – bass
Holden Zsalek – drums
Hannah Crandall – vocals
Mike Varney – guitar solo
Craig Erickson – guitar solo
Billy Sullivan – guitar solo
Martin Anderson – guitar solo
BUY
www.merchbucket.com/products/mike-onesko-guitar-army-the-last-solo-cd
