Life Is Hard
Gulf Coast, 2024
10/10
The blues powerhouse Mike Zito never disappoints, and these 12 new tunes welcome Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith on the production side, where a highly emotive presence is appreciated and apt, as Zito’s wife passed away recently.
The rhythmic and driving “Lonely Man” opens the listen with a timeless, bluesy appeal of warmth, and the title track follows with a powerful and passionate delivery that uses graceful keys from Reese Wynans amid the soaring guitar.
Half way through, “No One To Talk To (But The Blues)” gets rowdy and animated, where the thumping keys and Lemar Carter’s drums suite Zito’s expressive pipes, while the intimate “These Eyes” is full of poetic and romantic songwriting that’s soulful and stirring.
Arriving near the end, “Nobody Moves Me Like You Do” emits a dense, rich and meticulous appeal in its textured delivery, and “Forever My Love” finishes with soaring vocals and unparalleled guitar playing that reminds us of what we’ll always love about the blues.
Like everything Zito is attached to, this is first rate, and he claims it’s his best work yet. It’s hard to argue with that, and certainly is no easy task considering the talent he possesses, but Life Is Hard just might be the best blues album of 2024.
Travels well with: Albert Castiglia- Wild And Free; Billy Price- Dog Eat Dog