I first met Albert (Bert) Carey when my drummer, Don Stroffolino, recommended (raved about) him as a bass sub for my band, Roger-Z and The Zygotes. I rang up Bert and we enjoyed a lengthy conversation about music and the people we knew in common. I told him that I had a long song list and wanted to make sure he knew enough of the tunes. We went down the page and it turned out he knew 95% of the entries. Carey mentioned that he sang lead and I got nervous -- very nervous. Because I had previously listened to songs on his website from his latest album, "Ten Cents Short Of A Dime". I knew the second I let him sing, I could never follow. I vocalize in a low, Johnny Cash, War style and he sings like a classic rock god. Sure enough, after his rendition of Blind Faith's "Can't Find My Way Home", I was pretty much done for the night. But like the seventies classic, "The Gambler" says, you got to know when to hold them -- and when to fold them.
Albert Carey first made his name in the seventies as a bassist in the legendary Mick Ronson Band (deceased guitarist for David Bowie). Since then, he has played with dozens of groups and his songs have been heard on Leslie West's "Dodgin' in The Dirt," 1998 CBS Olympic Broadcasts (various features and cues), The Howard Stern Show, America's Most Wanted, The Gordon Elliot Show, The Jerry Springer Show, The Maury Povich Show, Rush Limbaugh, Turner Broadcasting Network, ABC College Football, WCW Wrestling and many, many more. Carey describes "Ten Cents Short Of A Dime", produced by Paul Orofino and Jody Gray, as "70's flavored blues rock". The album features a who's who of contemporary rockers. Guitars: Tommy Byrnes, Al Pitrelli, Frank Carillo, Johnny Gale. Bass: Danny Miranda. Organ: Tony Perrino. Drums: John O'Reilly. Piano: Andy Ezrin. Background Vocals: Tony Harnell, Danny Vaughn, Jody Gray. Surprisingly enough, Bert doesn't play guitar or bass on the album. He modestly claims that they only wanted top guns for the project. And only his voice fit that category.How to describe Carey's pipes? A cross between Rod Stewart, Robert Plant, Mountain's Leslie West, and Whitesnake's David Coverdale. Not a bad pedigree. And he sure rocks the blues.
This album harks back to the seventies and eighties -- when blues rock reigned supreme. The CD divides into softer, acoustic tinged blues ("Ten Cents Short Of A Dime", "Too Blue To Sing The Blues", "Solitary Man", and "Thinkin' With Your Heart", "Evil, Evil") and the rockers ("Done Broke Down", "Big Red Fire Engine", Traffic's "Empty Pages","Catch A Ride","Blame It On The Night", and "She's The One"). As we used to say, put the needle down on any track. You can't go wrong. Each tune features well thought-out arrangements and steaming hot guitar licks. And Carey's voice smokes each track. My favorites include "Done Broke Down", the title track, "Too Blue To Sing The Blues", "Catch a Ride," "Evil, Evil", and "She's The One".
So if you're looking to relieve the pain of heart break by kicking out the jams, step up to The Albert Carry Project. Check his web page to catch live dates.
©2008 Roger Zee