Corporate Slave

Coldsweat

review by Bill Majkut

Out of Toronto , Canada where the blues doesn’t run cold, Coldsweat has unleashed a follow up to their outstanding debut CD Nocturnal. Their new release is titled Corporate Slave.

Corporate Slave contains twelve cuts. Ten originals and two Beatles’s covers. Not being a big Beatles fan, I must say that this is the first time I ever enjoyed listening to Lady Madonna. Vocalist Anthony Salvatore and bluesmate/guitarist Robert Anthony co-authored all the original material. The CD artwork includes the words to all the songs and should be read by every listener. The artwork production on Corporate Slave is very good, far surpassing their first CD.

The brightest star in Corporate Slave’s tonal universe is Robert Anthony’s brilliant guitar performances and tone. His playing here stands out beyond his work in Nocturnal. His ingenious and tasty multi-track guitar parts, the consistent building and execution of story like ideas during his solos coupled with his vintage guitar timbre propel this disc to places very few other CDs ever approach. Along with the superb guitar work, the vocals, songwriting and arranging are all superior. Anthony Salvatore delivers his blues voice with another solid performance. The voice quality and emotion of Mr. Salvatore along with the brilliant guitar work of Robert Anthony are the real magic of this collection.

There are many great cuts on this CD but due to size limitations for this review, I will expand on only a few. My personal favorites are all original compositions written by the creative teaming of the two “Anthonys”. They are: Stuck in a Bottle, Let You Down Tonight, Bad Luck Child, Let’s Talk About Love and Junk Yard Dog. But, EVERY SINGLE SONG on this CD incorporates guitar tracks that are works of art and vocal tracks that are sung with passionate heartfelt conviction while telling stories that are worth listening too. Listen to or read the words in this CD!

The CD starts off with an original titled Stuck in a Bottle. The groove is reminiscent of early Savoy Brown type blues-line shuffles. Drummer, Rob Randazzo plays this feel very well. Rob’s drumming with the driving bass-line, along with Robert’s killer guitar work and Mr. Salvatore’s dynamic vocals/writing all contribute to making this tune work (and work well)! “There's no freedom when you’re shackled up in chains. A constant battle, I fight it everyday. And if I find a place where I can have some peace, It'll show up unannounced and get the best of me. I've been a slave far too long and now I'm stuck in a bottle I can't get out.”

Bad Luck Child is a medium tempo finger style funk tune delivered via solid bass lines from Greg Plant. This ’60s style R&B groove receives a new and energetic interpretation containing very good horn parts written/arranged by Anthony Salvatore and played by special guest Pat Carey on saxophones. The funky bass and drum groove, GREAT vocals and killer guitar work are the inferno for this highly danceable pocket.

Let’s Talk About Love is a different type of finger style funk tune also delivered with accomplished and tasty horn parts by Misters Salvatore and Carey. The song is steered through its turns with some serious and enterprising drumming from Rob Randazzo. To avoid being redundant in my critique of this writing team, I’ll let the words from the song speak for itself: “Do you remember when we were tight? It was us against the world and we knew it'd work out right. You'd be my woman and I'd be your man. We could turn to each other through good times and the bad. We don't do that no more. Something’s wrong babe, I want to talk about love”.  I HEAR YA!

Junk Yard Dog is a heavy, line-driven blues-rocker executed with a ZZ-Top “one-step-in-the-blues” type feel. The solid guitar-doubled bass-line and drumming drive this piece. But, as with nearly every song in this disc, the multi tracking, arranging and solos of Robert Anthony’s guitar parts create the energy and force that churn this tune into the high-powered musical blast it becomes.

I strongly recommend this disc for everyone that loves high-energy blues-rock written with skillful story telling, exceptional musical taste and performed with outstanding musicianship. As with every review that I am asked to write though, I will include my criticisms also. I have only two for this CD.

First of all, the CD fails too improve on or even equal the mix and mastering quality of Nocturnal (their debut CD). Many of the bass tracks sound as if they were recorded from a midi-keyboard using a stock patch. Specifically tracks 1, 2 & 9. In various songs the bass tends to lose its distinction between it and the kick drum and the snare “crack” has no effective presence in the mix eliminating its punch and power to the songs. Secondly, there is a lack of nuance in the interplay between the bass and the drums. Some bass lines often repeat the theme-line over-and-over, never extrapolating the idea to build with the soloist or the drummer. On more than a few occasions the rhythm section falls short of fully developing the groove of the tune (mining it for all its worth) and as a team fail to take the energy to the next level for the choruses or during the solos. It’s as if there is a leash trying to hold the drummer back from digging his groove or kickin’ the band. This may have been an intentional decision on the part of the producers. Some people like that effect (it works for Nashville ). However, this discrepancy only glares brighter when juxtaposed against the limitless ideas, energy and creativity that these musicians possess and express individually and collectively in this CD.