Chris Antonik Review

The self-titled 2010 debut album of Chris Antonik is a promising preview for what’s to come on his next album to be recorded in early 2012. The album features different singers including Josh Williams (also on keys), Mark Stafford, Richard Underhill, Suzie Vinnick, as well as Andrew Taylor on bass and Chris Chiarelli on drums. The band as a whole works well together. The vocals are good and the instrumentalists are tight, but Chris’s guitar playing is what really shines on this album.

The album starts out with an up-tempo blues called “More to Give.” Chris’s guitar rings out strong from the beginning and continues throughout the song while the Hammond B3 adds a nice touch. Following “More to Give” is a song called “Roll With It.” The song is a funky mid-tempo tune that is a nice contrast to the more traditional blues songs on the album. “King of Infidelity” is also a nice contrast. The song sounds like it could be a blues crossover to pop and the kind of song that would be heard on more mainstream radio. The more straight up blues songs on the album are very well done. Chris covers “She’s a Burglar” by Jerry Ragovoy and “Double Trouble” by Otis Rush. Chris adds his own flare to the cover songs on his album while paying tribute to the artists who have clearly influenced him. The hidden gem on this album is a guitar instrumental tune. “Dhyana” shows off Chris’s skills as a guitarist but more importantly it shows his roots as a true blues guitarist.

Overall, the album has some great musicians and songs on it. With this album as a preview of Chris Antonik, the next album is sure to be greatly anticipated.

The Review: 7.5/10

Can’t Miss Tracks

– More To Give
– Roll with It
– The King of Infidelity
– Dhyana

The Big Hit

– More to Give

Review by Liz Lohnes