For almost exactly 30 years now, US-American Gary Hoey has been sweeping through the music scene as an eternally energetic guitar dervish. He has left little out: Hoey has played hard rock, prog and surf sounds, he has written film music, crazy-rocking Christmas songs and much more.
However, the now 58-year-old is rooted in blues rock, which he likes to celebrate with a gritty and sometimes heavy touch. This is also the case on his new album "Neon Highway Blues". On the record, which he produced himself and recorded in his own studio, he once again presents himself as a master of this genre and a virtuoso on his instrument. He was additionally inspired by his label colleagues Eric Gales and Lance Lopez as guest musicians, as well as the American jazz and blues guitarist Josh Smith, who is not yet well known in Europe but has long been praised by connoisseurs, and - the apple doesn't fall far from the tree - his 17-year-old son Ian Hoey. The eleven tracks on "Neon Highway Blues" cover a broad musical spectrum. They range from the Jeff Beck-infused funky opener "Under the Rug" (with Eric Gales) to the dynamic slow blues "Mercy of Love" (feat. Josh Smith) and the Texan-swinging "Still Believe in Love" to the stomping blues rocker "Damned If I Do" (with Lance Lopez). "Almost Heaven", "Waiting on the Sun" and the title track "Neon Highway Blues" are partly majestic instrumentals, and on Gary Hoey's personal highlight "Don't Come Crying", his Ian Hoey shows in detail what he can do on the guitar even as a youngster in his teens. "It brought tears of joy to my eyes," says Gary Hoey - an effect that "Neon Highway Blues" as a whole is very likely to have on many fans of the genre.