Mick Kolassa - 149 Delta Ave

After releasing two critically acclaimed albums of other people's music, Mick is back to what he loves the most: recording and releasing what he calls his own Free Range Blues. This new album, 149 Delta Avenue, covers a multitude of blues styles and subgenres. Mick has assembled a collection of fine new original songs and three of his favorites written by others. To bring this body of work to life he has brought together a stellar group of musicians that include the Taylor Made Blues Band, and some great guests. The album opens with Mick's song I Can't Slow Down, which is his confessional about how he lives, followed by US 12 to Highway 49, which traces Mick's lifelong blues odyssey. Alternative Man is a sexy blues tune in the classic macho sense, treated two different ways on this album. Cotton Road is a powerhouse song that Mick wrote after a conversation with the curator of Memphis' Cotton Museum and driving on the road on which he lives (Cotton Road). I Don't Need no Doctor, a song introduced by Ray Charles but also delivered by Humble Pie and others, has a special place in Mick's heart, as does Larry Garner's great composition, Miss Boss, which has been a mainstay in his live shows for years. Then there's The Viper, which is just a fun song! Taken as a whole, this album represents Mick's love of all styles of blues, as well as his continuing drive to improve as an artist and a songwriter.