Famed blues-rocker Coco Montoya, award-winning guitarist and vocalist, will release his first album in four years on September 1, 2023.
This press release was provided to Vivascene by Alligator Records.
“One of the most prodigious and gifted electric bluesmen on the planet…a deeply soulful singer and incendiary guitarist [with] a seemingly endless penchant for invention.”
–AllMusic
“Smoking songs and heavy hitting guitar full of fire and passion…Montoya’s rough-edged voice is filled with feeling. Bluesy, powerful and unpredictable…[It]really gets the blood flowing.”
–Blues Music Magazine
“Montoya is a show-stopper…heartfelt singing and merciless guitar with a wicked icy burn. He is one of the truly gifted blues artists of his generation.”
–Living Blues
With Writing On The Wall, Montoya delivers what he is calling one of the best records he’s ever made. For the very first time on Alligator, he decided to bring his road-tested band—noted keyboardist and songwriter Jeff Paris (Keb’ Mo’, Bill Withers), bassist Nathan Brown, and drummer Rena Beavers—into the studio with him. Guests on the album include Lee Roy Parnell, who adds his well-seasoned slide guitar to the smoldering A Chip And A Chair, and Coco’s friend, guitarist Ronnie Baker Brooks (son of late Alligator star Lonnie Brooks), on the searing cover of Bobby Bland’s You Got Me (Where You Want Me) and on the droll Baby, You’re A Drag. Between the camaraderie of the long-time bandmates and the sheer talent of all involved, the results have Coco feeling, in his words, “over the moon.” He continues, “I am so proud of this one. The band played so great, they ended up making me play even harder. They made me sound better than I am!”
Produced by Grammy Award-winner Tony Braunagel (Bonnie Raitt, Taj Mahal) and co-produced by Jeff Paris, Writing On The Wall is a tour-de-force of memorable, hook-filled songs, sung with passion and fueled by Montoya’s fiery guitar and the band’s spot-on musicianship. The 13 tracks include five written or co-written by Montoya.
Now, with the dynamic Writing On The Wall and an overflowing tour schedule, Coco Montoya is excited to perform the new songs live with his burning-hot band. Montoya’s reputation as an incendiary live performer is well-earned, as he delivers the goods night after night. Vintage Guitar declares, “Coco keeps getting better and better. He plays with fire and passion rarely seen in this day and age.”
Writing On The Wall will be released on September 1, and will initially be available on CD and at all digital sites, with the 140g translucent blue vinyl LP to follow on September 29.
