Anyone who has taken the musical ride with Gary Hoey during the past 30 years better buckle up and get ready for the next exciting journey on NEON HIGHWAY BLUES.
NEON HIGHWAY BLUES, steering its 11 tracks with the confidence and assuredness of a veteran and the freshness of someone who's still in the process of discovery and refinement -- with the help of famous friends such as Eric Gales, Lance Lopez, Josh Smith and Hoey's 17-year-old son Ian Hoey.
"I really wanted to make sure this album had a lot of blues on it," says Hoey, who self-produced NEON HIGHWAY BLUES and recorded it at his home studio in New Hampshire. “I kept sticking to the blues and listening to the classic players, all the Kings, Albert King, Freddie King, BB King, and finish with some Burger King. Hoey laughs” tried to get that to be a focus of this record -- and still put some songs for that my long-time, die-hard fans expect; instrumentals and some rockin' Zeppelin type stuff. There's definitely a variety here."
Hoey's not kidding. NEON HIGHWAY BLUES kicks off with "Under the Rug," a funky, Jeff Beck style workout with Eric Gales. Up next is the dynamic 6:29 slow blues "Mercy of Love," with Josh Smith, with biting guitar solos, Hoey gets his Texas swing on for "Still Believe in Love" and settles into some roadhouse shuffles on "Your Kind of Love," and "Damned If I Do," is a big, stomping blues rocker with Lance Lopez trading licks. And those majestic instrumentals he mentioned? Check out "Almost Heaven," "Waiting on the Sun" and the cinematic title track, all showcases of virtuosity that complement the grittier fare around them.
