Dirty Deal (CD - 2007)

Personnel: Coco Montoya (vocals, guitar); Coco Montoya; Paul Barrére (guitar, slide guitar, percussion, background vocals); Fred Tackett (guitar); Tony Stead, Tony Stead (keyboards); Kenny Gradney, Steve Evans (electric bass); Randy Hayes, Randy Hayes (drums); Ed Kanon, Ed Kanon (percussion); Bill Payne (keyboards); Richard Hayward (drums); Roger Cole (percussion, background vocals).

Audio Mixer: Sam Fishkin.

Recording information: The Lair Recording Studio, Los Angels, CA; Unlisted Number Recording, Los Angels, CA.

Bluesman Coco Montoya's sixth album finds the gravel-voiced performer accompanied by Paul Barrere and other members of Little Feat, as well as by his regular band, on a roster of songs that display his trademark stinging, Albert Collins-influenced guitar style to its best advantage. Highlights include the irresistible, rocking "Love Gotcha," the swinging "It Takes Time," and the atmospheric after-hours blues of "It's My Own Tears."

At times on Dirty Deal, it's virtually a Little Feat reunion, with five members from the classic lineup helping out on "Three Sides to Every Story," giving it a wonderful, funky momentum. Coco Montoya himself is definitely a better-than-average guitarist and singer when it comes to the R&B/blues axis, although he's at his best on tracks like "How Do You Sleep at Night?" where he has the chance to pull more emotion from his instrument; in this case, more than a touch of bitterness. He's cut from the same cloth as Robert Cray, but without the same soulful subtlety. Montoya is more a shot and a beer than a smooth cocktail. You come away from this with the sense that he holds nothing back, and even a performance in the studio would be sweaty; there's that amount of commitment. And while he may not be one of the guitar gods, when he unleashes a flurry of notes (as on "It Takes Time") he's still a powerhouse. Perhaps the biggest problem is that, although he cranks in all departments, there's very little to really distinguish his music from many others mining the same seam. ~ Chris Nickson minimize