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Count's 77: Count's 77
Count's 77 Self-titled Debut CD Album Review

Count's 77: Count's 77

Melodic Blues Hard Rock
4.5/5.0

Those who love Las Vegas, custom cars, and tricked out motorcylces may know the 'count' of Count's 77. It's Danny "Count" Koker from the History Channel's reality television show, Counting Cars. It seems that Koker is also a lover of classic hard rock, especially the kind infused with blues.

Count's 77 Band Photo

Count's 77: actually only five of them.

That's essentially the content of their self-titled album. To get this sound, Koker enlisted two guitarists, John Zito and Stoney Curtis. The former has extensive experience in the LA rock since and brings rhytm and slide guitar to the act. Curtis is a nationally known blues guitarist with several CDs under his belt, also on the Shrapnel label. Also of note is keyboard player Tommy Paris (aka Don Jillson), which you may remember from Eighties hair metal band Britny Fox.

Outside of front man Koker, who is a surprisingly good rock singer, the songs revolve mostly around the guitars of Zito and Curtis, especially the latter. His blues infected licks paired with the classic rock groove channel an musical era nearly 30 to 40 years past when the style significant. Think moments of Free, Humble Pie, Foghat and others. (If recollection serves me, I believe a saw homemade video of Count's 77 covering Slow Ride.) Excepting the slow burning blues tune Save A Little Something For Me, most everything here simply rocks with blistering blues riffs like Your Love Ain't Right, Working for the Man, or Riding with the Sons of Perdition. Alternatively, sometimes the blues edge takes a side seat to some straight up catchy rock and roll as with Let the Rockin' Do the Talkin' or Stand Tall.

Speaking once more to the Count's influences his band covers Rick Derringer's Rock and Roll Hootchie Coo and Pat Travers' Snortin' Whiskey, with both legendary guitarist doing the leads. I'm sure some will merely cast Count's 77 and this album as some throwback music or retro-rock, but blues busting classic hard rock never goes out of style. Keith Richards said it best, "If you don’t know the blues… there’s no point in picking up the guitar and playing rock and roll ..." Easily recommended.




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In Short

I'm sure some will merely cast Count's 77 and this album as some throwback music or retro-rock, but blues busting classic hard rock never goes out of style.

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