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I have been
writing about
Joe Moss and his
music for just
about 10 years
now. I know him
well enough to
know what some
people are going
to say about his
new album,
Maricela’s
Smile,
that you are
holding in your
hands at this
very moment.
People will say
that it is very
different from
Joe’s past music
and that it
isn’t a blues
album. Those of
us who know Joe,
however, know
that the soul,
jazz, and
R&B-influenced
sound heard on
the new album is
where Joe has
been heading all
along. I can
remember sitting
with Joe in 1997
or 1998,
interviewing him
for the first
time for the
first local
birdcage liner
magazine I ever
published in,
and listening to
him describe
this sound that
he heard in his
head, even as he
was releasing
his self-titled
debut CD, which
contained the
most straight
blues he has
ever put on
record. The
title track of
Joe’s second
effort,
Monster Love,
foreshadowed
this style, and
gave fans a
taste of what he
was thinking and
what he was
trying to do as
an artist.
Maricela’s
Smile
is Joe
hitting the
target he has
aimed for at
long last and
truly coming
into his own as
a songwriter and
bandleader.
It IS a blues
album, by the
way. Joe Moss is
first and
foremost a blues
guitarist and he
can play
straight-up
blues as well as
anyone else out
there. But, like
Joe, the new
record is so
much more than
just blues. It
is also the
realized dream
of a kid who
loved Stevie
Wonder and an
adult who
listens to
D’Angelo and
Tyrone Davis.
It’s blues with
an element of
sophistication
in the writing
and arranging,
the product of a
musical mind not
content to play
with purely
primary colors,
a mind that is
not afraid to
bring in any
influence, be it
funk, rock, or
whatever, if it
suits the music
at hand, a mind
not willing to
close off
creativity over
stylistic
concerns. There
are enough
curators in the
blues world to
guarantee that
the old ways
survive and are
available for
anyone who wants
to know where
this music came
from. What many
fans forget,
however, is that
those classic
performers like
Muddy Waters
that we all love
were very modern
in their day. To
be standing on a
stage in the
1950s with a
Fender guitar
and amplifier,
or any electric
guitar for that
matter, was to
be riding the
cutting edge.
Those players
were trying to
forge their own
sound, a new
sound. Moss is
doing the same
thing, in his
way and in his
day. All the
pure American
styles like
blues, jazz,
country, etc
have been
developed as far
as they are able
to go. No one is
ever going to
top Willie
Dixon, Charlie
Parker, or Hank
Williams. Music,
like all art
forms, needs new
influences to be
brought into it
for it to
continue to grow
and not become
stale.
Maricela’s Smile
is Joe doing
this in a very
personal way,
letting
everything he
has ever heard
touch this album
in one way or
another.
This is no idle
experiment,
though. This is
the music
business and Joe
and all of us
involved with
this album hope
it finds an
audience, Joe’s
biggest audience
yet. When you
are a husband
and father as
well as a
bandleader,
everything
carries weight
and impacts not
only you and
your band, but
also your family
and home life.
Early indicators
are good and Joe
tells of playing
this music live
to blues
audiences with
very positive
responses. I am
writing this
pre- release and
there is, of
course, no
crystal ball on
my desk, but I
don’t think Joe
needs to worry
about this one.
This album will
appeal not only
to fans of
modern blues,
but also to
anyone who likes
funky, soulful
grooves, great
playing, and
heartfelt
songwriting, all
done with real
musical
identity. They
say confidence
is a hallmark of
greatness and I
know Joe would
not have put
this music out
if he didn’t
have absolute
faith in it and
feel it was his
best work to
date. Time will
tell, as it
always does, but
I think
Maricela’s Smile
will open
new worlds for
Joe and his
music, worlds
where labels
don’t really
matter. Is it
blues? Of course
it is, but who
cares? These are
Joe’s blues, and
if you like
them, they are
your blues, too,
so play them as
you please.
Mike O’Cull,
Illinois
Entertainer
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