Albert Carey Project ~ Tens Cents Short Of A Dime (album review) ... White boy blues from Mick Ronson's boy!

Style: hard rock, country rock, blues rock
Label: Deja Blue
Year: 1999
Home: New York

Members: Albert Carey ~ vocals
Al Pitrelli, Johnny Gale, Tommy Byrnes ~ guitars
Frank Carillo ~ guitar/mandolin
Tony Perrino ~ organ
Andy Ezrin ~ keyboards
Danny Miranda ~ bass
John O'Reilly ~ drums
Tony Harnell, Danny Vaughn, Jody Gray ~ b. vocals


There's always a place for bluesy country tinged rock a la the Allman Brothers or Kansas. That also seems to be a trend today with many former rockers rediscovering themselves via the heartland/breadbasket constituency of music. Bon Jovi, Jewel & Bret Michaels of Poison, for example, have all donned cowboy hats to the chagrin of older fans. While the blues have always been the backbone of rock & a good jumping off place to rediscover when a musician needs a boost of inspiration. But, there's a few musicians out there who play bluesy rock naturally & one can feel the difference in authenticity. They're not doing this to rekindle their career, but because they love the groove & sound. Vocalist & former bassist AC on his one solo outing is one of these musicians. One might not know the name, but AC toured behind guitarist Mick Ronson in his 70's solo band after Ronson left David Bowie & the legendary Spiders From Mars. AC, never in the spotlight like his former bandmate/boss, has left his youthful rock side behind to return to more rootsy music & created this album that seamlessly fuses folk, blues, country & rock with an all-star cast. Joining him in the studio are members whose resumes include Alice Cooper, Megadeth, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, TNT, Rainbow, Kenny Vance of Jay & The Americans, Queen, Blue Oyster Cult, King Kobra, Meat Loaf, amongst countless others. Plus, many of the participants here have played together countless times over the years both in bands & sessions from their earliest days in the club to the present day. The musical experiences of the participants is wide, but they all share the same roots in the blues & that love creates a powerhouse blues-rock country-tinged album that weaves from electronic blues to acoustic country. All the songs are originals except Traffic's "Empty Pages" where AC sounds like an early 80's Eric Clapton vocally. Actually, had Clapton not taken a more commercial direction in the last decade since his From The Cradle album this is the type of blues album he'd probably be making. It's exciting, edgy & white boy blues at its best that both takes from the past yet allows the participants to incorporate their own nuanced playing with a large dose of rock. The only problem with this album is whose on what track as the liner notes don't give that identification. This album was a one off collection of musicians, but AC can be found performing its songs with his band the Sophisticato's, while he also has the blues outing Blues Manchu with drummer Dennis Cotton of the Duke Robillard band & lead guitarist David Malachowskiis from Shania Twain. In his own bands AC plays guitar in addition to singing.