JD Simo Trio: Songs From The House of Grease Review

JD Simo’s new album Songs From The House of Grease was released on January 13, 2023. It was recorded at his home studio in Nahville over two days where he and his band jammed. The other two members of the trio consists of longtime partners Adam Abrashoff playing drums and Todd Bolden thumping the bass guitar. Simo is a native of Chicago that relocated to Nashville and has worked as a songwriter, guitarist and producer for a slew of artists. The list includes “Blackberry Smoke,” Luther Dickinson and the “North Mississippi Allstars,” Phil Lesh from the “Grateful Dead” and Jack White to name some. Simo was part of the soundtrack for Baz Luhrmann’s 2023 Academy Award nominated film, Elvis. He was the only guitar player appearing on the twelve tracks that included one. This includes the “Best Rap Performance” nomination “Vegas” which features Doja Cat.

The album consists of five songs of varying length that total nearly forty minutes. Two of the songs, Mississippi Fred McDowell’s “Mortgage on My Soul” and John Coltrane’s “Afro Blue” were previously released as singles on Spotify. The three remaining songs include another cover and two original compositions. Fred McDowell is considered a seminal influence on Mississippi “hill country blues” and was first recorded by Alan Lomax. “Mortgage on My Soul is over seven minutes in length which is nearly three minutes longer than McDowell’s original version, who despised rock & roll. McDowell coached Bonnie Raitt in her early years and switched from acoustic to electric guitar by the late 1950s and used a slide on his ring finger. Simo extended McDowell’s arrangement on acoustic guitar with electric using a slide and jams to the driving rhythm of Abrashoff’s drums and Bolden’s thumping bass guitar.

Jazz saxophonist John Coltrane’s version of Mongo Santamaria’s composition “Afro Blue” is translated by Simo’s dexterous guitar manipulations. Coltrane’s quartet included McCoy Tyner on piano playing an important part in the song’s performance. JD’s fingers delicately dance on the fret board mimicking keyboards to the rumbling rhythm provided by Abrashoff and Bolden for over eight minutes. The shortest cut is Simo’s original composition “Missy’s Strut” coming in just under four minutes in length. It’s an upbeat jazzy tune with complex funky guitar manipulations that segue into melodic runs dancing in time. The tune has an infectious beat that will make some want to get up and dance while others may be more inclined to intently listen to the complex musical interplay.

“How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live?” is a blues standard from 1929 that has been recorded by everyone from Bruce Springsteen to Joe Bonamassa. The original version was performed on violin by Blind Alfred Reed who wrote, composed and performed the song. The lyrics talk about the hard times that the people were experiencing at onset of the “Great Depression.” Simo sings in a Southern sounding laid back voice and electrifies the composition and unlike Reed’s version he performs an extended slide guitar jam in the middle, doubling the three minute song to six.

“There once was a time when everything was cheap,

But now prices nearly puts a man to sleep.”

The final song on the album is “Higher Plane Parts 1 & 2” written by JD Simo. It’s the longest cut on the album at nearly thirteen minutes in length. It starts out as a hard rocker with JD singing in a gravelly blues drenched voice for a couple of minutes while at the same time squeezing out screaming peals on his axe. When Simo reaches the higher plane his guitar takes over for the next ten minutes as JD runs his fret board in a variety of directions creating cosmic psychedelic excursions on his guitar with the aid of his rhythm section.

My only criticism is that the album should be longer. The album showcases Simo’s amazing guitar prowess and is a journey into the possible future of guitar driven music. JD’s vocal dexterity coupled with his musical ability on the six string guarantees him a successful future limited only by the projects he participates in and the compositions that he creates.

The Review 8/10

– Mortgage On My Soul
– Afro Blue
– Missy’s Strut
– How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times And Live
– Higher Plane Pt 1 & 2

The Big Hit

– Higher Plane Pt 1 & 2