Gino Matteo

It is an impressive recording on all fronts: musically wonderful, great
material, well produced and recorded. It is remarkably mature for a first recording by so young a player. I look forward to the next and the next and the one after that.
Stan Goldstein - Stan Goldstein

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Chris Gill of Guitar World Magazine described Gino's performance at the 2006 Guitar Center national finals of Guitarmaggedon: King of the Blues as follows : "...impressed in seconds with his huge tone and B.B. worthy vibrato and note bends. Wearing a slick suit, this sharp dressed man led the band through a swinging uptown performance, dropping to his knees to wrench every last drop of emotion from his Epiphone." - Guitar World Magazine

Prefering a big production for his debut album, singer/guitarist Gino Matteo pours a large array of sounds into his contemporary performance. Revealing a blues-rock sentiment that relies on tradition for its backbone, his program stirs the emotional pot with thoughts about the world in which we live and how we go about coping. Since winning last year's competition at the Guitar Center in Hollywood, he has been hitting the country's festivals and the Southland's hot spots in order to let everyone know that this "young lion" has what it takes to succeed.

Along with drummer Chuck Gullens, bassist Eric Ward and pianist/organist Dennis Wayne Holseybrook, Matteo puts his best foot forward on "I've Been Thinkin'", a 12 song set of originals and better-known blues ballads. The albums production includes sounds of the street, as impressions come full circle to complement the music with authenticity. From party crowds to street corner traffic, dogs barking and evidence that law enforcement is watching over the city, Matteo's program proves its point. He's added horns, voices, and a soulful harmonica to the mix, giving the album plenty of color. For blues inspiration, the bluesman only needed to look around at the people who walk Los Angeles streets. He found it and has managed to describe the scene accurately through a well-crafted program and through heart-wrenching stories. - Jim Santella - Southland Blues Magazine

How old is this kid? Twenty-five! Man, oh man, what a debut recording from Gino Matteo, who hails from Southern California. If I’ve Been Thinkin’ is any indication of what Matteo might be able to build upon on his future recordings - look out!

The first thing that grabs you about this recording is that you’re immediately taken back by the superior production value and dynamite audio quality, which is by no means taking anything away from Matteo’s performance, powerful guitar playing, and songwriting. Matteo stands tall behind the brilliant horn charts and string arrangements. Did I say strings on a Blues CD? Think back to B.B. King on “The Thrill Is Gone,” as most of this disk really works gorgeously and the arrangements only add to (and do not hinder) what Matteo is all about. A lot of Blues labels should take note as this recording is one of the best sounding Blues records I have heard in a very long time.

Since winning last year's competition at the Guitar Center in Hollywood, Matteo has been touring at several of this country's festivals and performs regularly in Southern California. In fact, Hubert Sumlin mentioned Matteo’s name to me, as Hubert was a judge at one of the guitar competitions where Matteo performed. Sumlin told me, “This boy can play!”

Drummer Chuck Gullens, bassist Eric Ward, and pianist/organist Dennis Wayne Holseybrook back Matteo and lay the perfect backdrop for Matteo to set himself apart on I've Been Thinkin’. There are twelve songs on the CD (plus a really cool thirteenth, a hidden track covering Chris Cain,’s “Drinking Straight Tequila”), most of which offer a delightful mix of original material and well-known Blues/Rock standards by Tom Waits and Robbie Robertson.

The vibe here often includes that urban big city sound, from time to time you will hear street traffic, dogs barking, and party sounds, all of which definitely gives I’ve Been Thinkin’ an unique vibe.

I've Been Thinkin' is a very impressive debut. It’s musically diverse, offers top-shelf material, is delightfully funky, delivers dramatic guitar playing, plus it is very well produced and beautifully mixed and recorded.

Bob Putignano is a contributing editor at BluesWax.
- Bob Putignano - Blueswax

My first thoughts on hearing this album for the first time were that it reminded me very much of an Ian Siegal album. Not because I thought that it sounded like Ian (although on at least one track, he comes close), but because the overall feel of the album leads you to think that there is something else going on. I don’t know if this is his first work, I wouldn’t imagine so from the quality of it, as it is superb. There are four guys listed as being in the band, but they are supplemented throughout the album by another twelve or so musicians and singers, and the overall sound is awesome. As I didn’t know most of the numbers, I thought that they were all originals but, upon closer inspection of the small print, it appears that only seven of them are self-penned. It is almost impossible for me to pick out a favorite, because I changed my mind every time I listened to it. I want to hear more of this band! - David Stone - Blues Matters

Full article available at link... - David Mac - Blues Junction Productions