Chicago’s own 2019 Blues Music Award winners Nick Moss and Dennis Gruenling are at it again. On Lucky Guy!, Gruenling’s harp, along with the Midwestern intensity of Moss’ blues guitar, is pure ecstasy. Produced by Kid Andersen and Moss, the album embraces traditional Chicago blues and severe West Coast jump. The shuffle “312 Blood” launches the album with killer harp and guitar solos without a smidgeon of blues-rock.
A real bang-for-your-buck recording, it also features killer rhythm guitar courtesy of Kid Andersen on the title track and “Me And My Friends.” He solos like a boss on the swinging “Movin’ On My Way.” Guitarist “Monster” Mike Welch is featured on the captivating Mike Ledbetter tribute “The Comet.” Moss’ hollow body stings like a bee on the minor-key march of “Sanctified, Holy And Hateful,” while the rhythm section swings with the fire of a bygone era.
The love song “Ugly Woman” was initially recorded by Johnny O’Neal, but the band adds its own sauce with the accented upbeats. In all, Moss is an expressive guitar strangler of the highest order and Lucky Guy! percolates from start to finish. – OJ
Taken from Vintage Guitar Magazine (June 2020)