ZACK WALTHER BAND
THE WESTERNER
DFW–WHAT KIND OF MAN–PAYING FOR IT NOW–I’M GOING OUT OF YOUR MIND–WHEN THE SHOW COMES TO TOWN–BAD GIRL–CASUALTY–MEET IN THE MIDDLE–HOLD ON I’M COMING–BAILEY’S LIGHT
The Texas-based Zack Walther Band is adept in rock, country, blues, and R & B, but, for this set, wanted to make a diverse album that would be unlike any of their previous releases. As such, “The Westerner” takes the listener on a musical journey that encompasses all of Zack’s influences, leading him from the Texas scene into the mainstream over the last fifteen years, and the album is full of pleasant surprises.
The set opens with a percussive, stompin’ shot of gritty blues, “DFW,” where our hero has hooked up with a girl who “never says never,” and is “down for whatever.” “What Kind Of Man” came about after Zack listened to Otis Redding’s “These Arms Of Mine,” while our hero admits to his myriad of mistakes made as a youth and the toll they exacted upon him, with “I’m Payin’ For It Now,”
We had three favorites, too. Fellow Texan Susan Gibson joins Zack on a duet of the playful, Delaney-and-Bonnie inspired, “Meet In The Middle,” while Zack makes a clever play on lyrics when his lover scorns him, vowing to go on a “road trip,” “I’m Going Out Of Your Mind.” The set closes with a song whose origins were a ghost story Zack heard as a youth. Herein, “Bailey’s Light” is given a Saturday night-meets Sunday morning blues-gospel treatment, with fine piano from Mike Atkins.
Zack Walther’s credo is that everyone’s musical DNA can be traced right down to the corner of Rhythm and Blues. He’s put that theory to the test, and “The Westerner” is the dazzling result! Until next time…Sheryl and Don Crow, The Nashville Blues And Roots Alliance.
donandsherylsbluesblog 