THE ANDY POXON BAND
RED ROOTS
ELLER SOUL RECORDS ER20101
HOTTEST THING IN TOWN–NO LOVE–QUITTERS NEVER LOSE–I WANT YOU SO BAD–I NEED MY GIRL–I’LL SING THE BLUES–STOP–WHEN–RAINING IN–RUN OF BAD LUCK–I HATE BEING ALONE–IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN DO–C’MON PRETTY BABY
The word “phenom” is bandied about quite a bit in the music world, but if anyone deserves that title, Maryland native Andy Poxon fits the bill. His latest release, entitled “Red Roots,” (matching his flaming red locks), consists of thirteen tracks that touch on rock, blues, funk, and a bit of jazz, and all are original tunes. Oh, and by the way, Andy is all of SIXTEEN years old!!
He’s got everything you can imagine–guitar chops, a bluesy vocal delivery that many will compare to Jonny Lang, and a writing maturity that is waaaaay beyond his years. Check out the plaintive, heartfelt vocal on the slow-blues of “I Want You So Bad,” which segues’ nicely into “I Need My Girl,’ with just a smidgen of reggae in the backbeat. “I’ll Sing The Blues” and “Stop” deal with the pain of lost love, and the latter features the poignant lyric “I lost my heart one piece at a time.” At the other end of the relationship spectrum, “When” deals with regrets and ‘what might have been,” while the rockin’ “I Hate Being Alone” finds Andy begging an old flame for a second chance.
Favorites? Of course! “Quitters Never Lose” has a cool, early-Eagles vibe. And, before they called it rock and roll, they called it rockabilly, and Andy begins and ends this set with two sweet Fifties-inspired burners, “Hottest Thing In Town” and “C’mon Pretty Baby,’ the latter featuring a very unusual reverb-like guitar tone.
Somebody famous once said “Oh, to be young again,’ and that fits Andy Poxon perfectly. This is an unbelievable set from a teenager who’s got the whole world of contemporary blues ahead of him, just waiting to be conquered. Do like we did and enjoy the hell out of “Red Roots!” Until next time…..Sheryl and Don Crow, Nashville Blues Society.
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