LANCE LOPEZ (Two Wolf) – Trouble Is Good (2023) *HQ*
With the recent very good Two Wolf debut album featuring ex- Blackfoot bass player Greg T. Walker and Texas heavy blues phenom vocalist / guitarist LANCE LOPEZ, many of you asked for his solo work.
Appeared a couple years ago, Lance’s last album “Trouble Is Good” is a blistering hot slab of blues-infused hard rock. These 10 original songs showcase not only Lopez’s incredibly passionate, precision-tuned guitar playing but also his powerful vocal ability.
If there were any fears that Lopez’s mean guitar chops would malfunction following his exit from all-star blues-rock project Supersonic Blues Machine, he’s delivered here another corking contraption of ferocious, heavy blues-rock firepower.
Indeed, the guitar work by Lopez is finger licking good while his ‘husky’ voice gives him something like an own identity. He brings guests such as Gregg Bissonette, Brian Tichy, and Peter Keys (Lynyrd Skynyrd) along for the ride, so the end result puts him squarely in position to have one of the premier blues-based rock albums in recent time.
The gloves are off from the word go, with Lopez’s passionate, gravelly voice venomously spitting out on the punchy “Easy To Leave.” Sure it’s powerful but still retains a stripped-back character and healthy helping of stick-to-your-ribs guitar wailing.
“Jam With Me” is gloriously jubilant and welcomes you to ‘the house of tone’ with some scintillating slide guitar. Based on a fiery, ZZ Top-inspired riff, it’s impossible not to feel the utter joy of every band member strutting their stuff on this killer number.
The slide gets things turning on the title track before the riffmaster supreme gets groovy and heavy. Peter Keys (Lynyrd Skynyrd) adds some classy keyboard flavor to the hardcore blues-rock.
Lopez clearly doesn’t’ need much encouragement to “Take a Swing,” but he comes out fretboard flailing from the first bell with a brutal super-charged riff and stunning guitar overlay to keep the massive sounding drums at bay. He even warns you to ‘look out’ before launching into a solo that’s as refined as it is relentless.
If your head is still spinning from the pounding pace, then “Trying in the Tri State” will leave you feeling ‘dizzy from the crossroads’ with another eyebrow-raising solo to rival what went before. You quickly understand why the late, great Jeff Beck labeled Lopez “a very exciting and intense guitarist.”
Closer “Voyager: Sunrise, Voyager, I Am Ra” does, however goes off the beaten track. Clocking in over seven minutes, it draws heavily from Led Zeppelin with its mysticism, delivering a sprawling, swirling storm of musical fruition, underpinning the power of a good jam.
So dynamic, so fluid, so unabashed, Lopez’s spellbinding talent is very much on show throughout this record. It’s impossible to ignore, but it would be cynical to brand it a solo record, such is the fellow breathless brilliance of his backing band. This is the result of a group of musicians having an awfully good time, hence why it sounds so raw and natural.
Grab a cold beer and embrace this wondrous slab of blues-infused hard rock. After all, it’s hard to stay out of trouble when it’s this good.
Highly Recommended
01 – Easy To Leave
02 – Jam With Me
03 – Trouble Is Good
04 – Uncivil War
05 – Wild Country
06 – Take A Swing
07 – Trying In The Tri Star State
08 – Slow Down
09 – Reborn
10 – Voyager: Sunrise, Voyager, I Am Ra
Lance Lopez – vocals, guitars, slide, bass
Gregg Bissonette – drums
Brian Tichy – drums
Peter Keys – keyboards
Logan Greeson – bass
BUY
www.amazon.com/Trouble-Good-Lance-Lopez/dp/B0C4VPGJY8
