Prefering a big production for his debut album, singer/guitarist Gino Matteo pours a large array of sounds into his contemporary performance. Revealing a blues-rock sentiment that relies on tradition for its backbone, his program stirs the emotional pot with thoughts about the world in which we live and how we go about coping. Since winning last year's competition at the Guitar Center in Hollywood, he has been hitting the country's festivals and the Southland's hot spots in order to let everyone know that this "young lion" has what it takes to succeed.
Along with drummer Chuck Gullens, bassist Eric Ward and pianist/organist Dennis Wayne Holseybrook, Matteo puts his best foot forward on "I've Been Thinkin'", a 12 song set of originals and better-known blues ballads. The albums production includes sounds of the street, as impressions come full circle to complement the music with authenticity. From party crowds to street corner traffic, dogs barking and evidence that law enforcement is watching over the city, Matteo's program proves its point. He's added horns, voices, and a soulful harmonica to the mix, giving the album plenty of color. For blues inspiration, the bluesman only needed to look around at the people who walk Los Angeles streets. He found it and has managed to describe the scene accurately through a well-crafted program and through heart-wrenching stories.
