self-released
Standing On The Sound, the new album by the Seth Yacovone Band (Seth Yacovone, guitar, Steve Hadeka, drums, and Tommy Coggio, bass) is surprisingly the group’s fourth release (considering the young age of Seth). Previous albums featured Seth displaying his proficient blues skills. However, on his new release, Seth concentrates on finding the groove while exploring classic rock-like riffs. Recorded in Vermont’s now prestigious studio The Barn and engineered by Pete Carini, Chas Eller and Lane Gibson, Standing on the Sound is Seth’s most mature release to date.
The first track, Once There Was A Way offers a deep groove, affirming Seth’s ability to funk it up. Backed by a strong rhythm section, he tackles a roaring solo. This sets the tone for the release as he is a talented guitarist, who successfully mines the blues idiom even as he works in other genres. At times his grizzled vocals, become a bit too much. However, occasionally – such as on Sweat Sauce he compensates more than adequately by planting a small musical seed that erupts into a beanstalk of a jam. Still, occasionally Seth does display pure beauty with his vocals as in the soft ballad All.
I would love to see Seth put out an instrumental album because I think it could be incredible. Don’t get me wrong, Seth is a talented songwriter and lyricist, with topics ranging from deep and conscious to down to the down to earth words of the workingman. But, still his voice does distract at times. Nonetheless, all in all this is a pretty kicking album for a young guitarist with a very bright future in front of him.