Anthony Gomes: Containment Blues Review
Anthony Gomes follows up 2018’s Peace, Loud, and Loud Guitars with Containment Blues. Peace, Love, and Loud Guitars was voted Blues Rock Review’s #1 album of 2018, so definitely some expectations for the followup. This album was inspired by the pandemic and is a bit more back to basics and raw than the balls to walls rock of Peace, Loud, and Loud Guitars. Gomes told Blues Rock Review in a recent interview he has a more rockish album nearly complete called Rock and Roll Blues Man, but felt now wasn’t the time to release an album like that.
Even though Containment Blues is a little more stripped-down, the album opens with an upbeat blues rock track, “Make A Good Man (Wanna Be Bad).” “Hell and Half of Georgia” is one of the album’s standouts where Gomes sings about a relationship in which one person does the other wrong and everyone knows about it.
One thing that’s different about Containment Blues is the world influence. Gomes pulled in musicians from Brazil, Sweden, Russia, Venezuela, Canada, and the United States. This album has a lot of nuance to it. “Praying For Rain,” another standout where Gomes sings about never judging a person unless you walk a mile in their shoes features mandolin and banjo, which is a different sound than what we’re used to from Gomes. “This Broken Heart Of Mine,” “The Greatest 4 Letter Word,” and “Until The End of Time” feature violin and cello with the latter also including some Flamenco style guitar.
Gomes really show how well rounded of a musician he is on this album. “Tell Somebody” is a foot-stomping southern rock track that would fit with his New Soul Cowboys work. The album closes out with the jokey and entertaining title track, “Containment Blues,” a relatable acoustic blues song where Gomes laments about his mother-in-law taking the last roll of toilet paper and wishing she’d practice some social distance.
Containment Blues is another winner from Anthony Gomes with no weak tracks in the bunch. While some artists are delaying releasing albums during the pandemic, Gomes was able to turn the situation into a positive as it inspired some truly great songs. Gomes challenged himself with Containment Blues and it pays off as one of the better albums of 2020.
The Review: 9/10
Can’t Miss Tracks
– Hell and Half of Georgia
– Praying For Rain
– Let Love Take Care Of Love
– Tell Somebody
– The Greatest 4 Letter Word
The Big Hit
– Praying For Rain
