Artist:     Billy Hector

Album:     Someday Baby

Label:     Ghetto Surf Music

Release Date:     8.24. 2018 

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BUY DIGITAL

BUY PHYSICAL

New Jersey blues legend Billy Hector deserves wider recognition, having written many original songs with his own unique guitar style for over three decades now. He’s the lesser-known of other iconic artists who hail from the Jersey Shore but he’s as hard-working as any of them. Sure, Hector cut his teeth with the best of them, taking a guitar chair in the bands of Hubert Sumlin and Joe Louis Walker. He’s studied all the blues greats, has appeared in Martin Scorcese’s “The Blues” series, and several high profile blues tributes. He has a versatile approach where he can pick acoustically, deliver aching slide guitar, and blast away on his Fender Strat. This is his 17th album

For these sessions, Hector gathers 16 musicians, many of whom—especially the rhythm section—play on just a handful of tracks. Hector wrote the horn arrangements for the three-piece horn section. Among the notable guests are John Ginty, whose B3 graces “Creeper,” and harmonica ace Dennis Gruenling, who blows on “Alabama Bound.” His wife, Suzan Lastovica, sings on “Alabama Bound” and “Road to Happiness.” Suzan and Billy collaborated to write 11 of the 13 songs, with “Alabama Bound” and “On Your Bond” the only covers.

Hector kicks off with his fiery guitar bolstered by the horns for the shaking “Wizard of Babylon,” and gets funky with the title track, using his wah-wah pedal, with the horns blaring. He continues the dance party with the aptly titled, horn-drenched “Butt Naked and Funk.” He takes a brief respite on the meandering slow blues, “Hit the Road” before cranking it up again for “Busy Man.” The horns prove to be a great touch. This is as powerful as Hector as ever sounded, remindful a bit of his neighbor, Southside Johnny.

“Moonlight In Her Eyes” nods to Willie Dixon’s “The Same Thing” lyrically, but musically it just cooks. Then it’s time to let loose with a barn-burning instrumental, “Bareback,” as David Nunez’s organ pushes Hector’s rampaging guitar. The horns join again for the upbeat shuffling “Jolene.” New Jersey-based Gruenling’s harp leads into “Alabama Bound” as Billy and Suzan share the vocals. Hector displays his acoustic slide guitar skills in “On Your Bond” before getting downright haunting and spooky on the disc’s longest track at six and half minutes, “Whiskey.” Supported by some adventurous organ from Nunez, Hector delivers two spiraling guitar solos that could cut through walls three feet thick. “Creeper,” with Ginty on the organ, returns us to horn driven Chicago blues. The closer, “Road to Happiness,” is a nod to that uplifting Stax sound as Billy and Suzan sound positively joyful.

Billy Hector has had New Jersey associated with his name for far too long. While that’s not necessarily a bad thing, by now it’s too confining. Let’s just embrace him as one of better contemporary blues artists, period.

—Jim Hynes