Album Review: Try This from Bill Moio

Album:  Try This
Artist:  Bill Moio
Label: ITI Records
Website:  billmoio.com

Jazz guitarist Bill Moio’s second album as a leader, Try This, demonstrates his command of the blues/soul milieu as well as his prowess as an eloquent songwriter.  His gift is honing melodic musings into smooth ambiences that incite the mind to drift across pleasing stratospheres. 

Featuring a complementing array of musicians that includes George Whitty on keyboards, Wayne Bergeron on trumpet, Andy Martin on trombone, Eric Marienthal on saxophone, Tommy Brechtlein on drums, and Jimmy Haslip and Mel Brown intermittently on bass, Moio proves himself to be a meaningful connoisseur of the blues, jazz, soul fusion.  His arrangements flow seamlessly, radiating sensitivity and grace across the melodic movements, making a likeable impression on the listener.

The Latin-tinged swagger in Moio's guitar chords rippling across "Arroz Con Pollo" is heaven to the ears, enhanced by the animated flares of Bergeron's trumpet and Martin's trombone splashing playfully.  The seductive waddle of Whitty's keys merge sleekly into the mix, filling the listener with good vibrations.  Switching gears to a bluesy jazz groove along the title track, powered by Marienthal's frothy saxophone furls and Moio's soaring guitar licks, the track is gurneyed by Haslip's throbbing bass and Brechtlein pulsing drumbeats.

Moio and Whitty give and respond in a harmonious exchange along "I’ve Heard It All Before" that basks the listener in a pacifying atmosphere, shifting into the pensive mood of "Friends Again," shrouding the aural senses in warmth and serenity.  Shining a classic soul-pop glint on "Chuckles," Moio and Whitty's rapport is smooth and complimenting, as the tender rustling in their musings builds into a dreamy soundscape.

Moio conjures up pleasing sensations across the recording, sometimes incorporating keyboard sampling/sequencing technology, digital strings, and drum programming into the tracks.  Having spent several years on the casino circuit of Las Vegas, Reno, and Lake Tahoe and a handful of dates at a club in Phoenix, Moio has presented his own musical identity fusing jazz, soul, blues, and pop into dreamy soundscapes and playful romps that leave a pleasing impression on listeners.

Musicians:
Bill Moio - guitar, keyboards, drum programming
George Whitty - Rhodes, Keyboards, drum programming
Wayne Bergeron - trumpet
Andy Martin - trombone
Eric Marienthal - saxophone
Jimmy Haslip - bass
Mel Brown - bass
Tommy Brechtlein - drums