The three members of
Supersonic Blues Machine
-- drummer
Kenny Aronoff
, bassist
Fabrizio Grossi
, and singer/guitarist
Lance Lopez
-- share a love of blues that's nearly as large as their love of classic rock. This means their 2016 debut,
West of Flushing South of Frisco
, is by no means traditional blues but it is traditional blues-rock, goosed by bits of funk and soul, all wrapped up in a muscular arena rock gloss. Songs are secondary here: it's all about the players, including a long, impressive list of guests, highlighted by
Billy Gibbons
,
Warren Haynes
Chris Duarte
, and
Robben Ford
. This very list of luminaries reveals how
is targeted at guitarists who love to hear other guitarists play -- listeners who love to hear and feel monster tone. If the songs never really stick -- they all feel like vehicles for vamps and solos -- that doesn't matter much because each track delivers the kind of oversized blooze jams so many guitarists love to play and, occasionally, hear. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine