Guitarist Alex Lopez and his trio, the Xpress, have captured that emotional lightning in a bottle, and use it to ignite their hard-driving, original blues-rock. That's the essence of Retro Revival, the latest album from Alex Lopez and The Xpress, a stripped-down name for a stripped down furiously guitar-driven band that's Lopez on guitar and vocals, Steve Roberts (originally from England) on bass and Kana Leimbach (originally from Japan) on drums. Lopez wrote/co-wrote all eleven songs, combining the traditions of blues lyricism with his potent rock sensibilities.
Lopez accelerates onto his blues-rock speedway with the rugged opener, “One More Time,” the first of multiple songs evoking the traditional blues fascination with love: lost love, joyful love, painful love. “One more time to love you before I leave this town,” is all he asks. “Your Lovin” follows, with a searing vocal bemoaning his treatment: “The way you treat me baby, you keep me in such pain / The way you tease me baby, coming back again.”
“When I Sing The Blues” opens with a mournful guitar intro to a slow-burning lament of love that's lost but still painfully present: “The way you left me baby, you took all that I have / And you hurt me baby, I can’t take no more of that.” The vibe shifts to a hardtimes blues theme with “Here I Am,” a rocker with a cynical eye on the world outside: “Trying to pay the mortgage, send my kids through school / Everyone’s forgotten what they call the golden rule.” Then “What The World Needs Now” rocks with hope: “A little bit loving, a little bit of hope / A little bit of patience, find some way to cope.”
“Hey Little Sister” is a bouncy, bluesy bid to be appreciated for who you are: “Hey little sister, I got the right stuff / Not all that I need to be, not enough money / But I got good loving, that’s all you need.” “Angry” is just that; a fiercely played and sung worldly judgment: “Seems the sky is on fire, And everyone is a liar / Angry here to justify / Angry here to testify.”
The jaunty melody of “Loving You Gave Me The Blues” is a lively counterpoint to its downhearted bluesified message: “I was kneeling, praying you’d treat me right / Double dealing, hiding the truth from my sight / Never knew loving you gave me the blues.” The “Name Of Love” is a gently rocking resumption of his optimism: “In the name of love, not the same without love / Don’t know what I’m going to try / Out to prove all my love will never die.”
“Black Hole” rocks out with a bluesy shuffle of unrequited love, with the band forming an emphatic vocal trio: “I need your love, get none / Got no place to go, pulled into the big black hole.” The heartfelt closer, “Keep On Living,” is an elegant anthemic ballad filled with hope: "Time to keep on living / Take what I’ve been given / Find my path to heaven / Time to keep on living.”
Alex Lopez isn't just revisiting blues past; he's made it his mission to revive and expand the music for new audiences with power and passion. With the birth of Retro Revival, Lopez is delivering that rocking baby of the blues. Jim White
BIOGRAPHY
Full bio at www.alexlopezmusic.com/about
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