Seth Rosenbloom
Boston, MA | Established. Jan 01, 2018 | SELF
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Hailing from Waltham, Mass., Seth Rosenbloom follows up on a previous EP with this album, which should be a welcome change of pace for anyone who loves red-hot guitar but has grown weary of a world dominated by over-the-top blues-rockers.
Rosenbloom is the son of classical violinists and studied the instrument himself. His interest in guitar began at age 11 when he saw the Jack Black movie, School Of Rock. He saved his pennies and bought an Ibenez SG soon after. He became fascinated with progressive metal, but turned to the blues after witnessing Joe Bonamassa in concert at age 13.
A quick study on six-string, Seth started playing in bands in high school, and was only 16 when he drew notice of Boston’s prestigious Berklee College Of Music, which awarded him a scholarship based on his merit as a performer. He spent years developing his skills as a sideman in several bands in New England, Tennessee and North Carolina, and has become a popular clinic instructor.
Recorded at guitar master Josh Smith’s Flat V Studios in Reseda, Calif., this CD includes six tasty originals and three well-executed and reconfigured covers. Rosenbloom’s guitar play features tasty single-note runs delivered slightly behind the beat, and his vocals follow suit in a warm tenor.
He’s backed here by a top West Coast rhythm section — bassist Travis Carlton (Steve Perry, Chris Cain and Robben Ford) and drummer Gary Novak (David Crosby, Jessy J and Fantasia) – with Scott Kinsey (Manhattan Transfer) on keys. They’re augmented by Smith, who provides rhythm on two cuts, and a horn section composed of Jamelle Adisa (trumpet) and Don Boissy (sax). Backing vocals are delivered by Raquel Rodriguez and Vanessa Bryan, and Alan Hertz contributes tambourine on one cut.
“For me, playing the blues is all about expressing emotions,” Rosenbloom says. “That is the key to making great music overall and great blues in particular.”
It’s evident from the first notes that he practices what he preaches.
The unhurried slow blues “Keep On Turning,” one of three originals here penned with Sonya Rae Taylor, opens the action. The theme’s very mature: that you should count your blessings, watch your tongue, stay true to yourself and take advantage of what you can while you’re young because time waits for no one. Seth’s mid-tune solo is soaked with emotion, but so brief it leaves you yearning for more.
The action heats up for “Crawling Back,” a medium-tempo blues-rocker about a lady who tries to return after walking away. Rosenbloom drives home his message that she’s no longer welcome with stinging six-string fills and runs. The loping stop-time shuffle “I Can’t Help It” continues the message as Seth announces he’s focused on someone else.
The horns make their first appearance for a swinging cover of B.B. King’s “Heartbreaker” before another slow-blues original , “Right About Now,” which enables Seth space to stretch out vocally before his six-string skills come into play with brief mid-tune solo and an extended ending runs.
Next up, the guitar hook to Elmore James’ “Look Over Yonders Wall” comes through loud and clear throughout, but the song gets a funky new stop-time treatment. Rosenbloom’s sterling break would put a smile on the master’s face.
The slow-blues pleaser “Broke And Lonely” offers up hope for anyone pursuing a dream before the medium-tempo “Come Back Around” delivers a plea for a lady to return from an all-night, head-clearing ride. The album concludes with an updated, uptempo cover of Leon Russell, Don Nox and Duck Dunn’s “Palace Of The King,” most famously recorded by B.B.
Seth Rosenbloom is a guitar player’s guitar player. His ceiling is unlimited. Available through Amazon and iTunes, this CD is a welcome addition for any lover of true blues. Strongly recommended. - Blues Blast Magazine
By starting off on classical violin, switching to guitar by age eleven, and earning a performance merit scholarship from the Berklee College of Music at 16 years old, it doesn’t sound like your typical blues guitarist’s bio. But within the first few notes of Seth Rosenbloom’s debut full-length, Keep on Turning (out January 18th on HOLMZ Music), you’ll understand why he has been described as a “searing blues-rock guitarist.”
“For me, playing the blues is all about expressing emotions,” Rosenbloom has said. “It allows for an extraordinarily wide range of emotion. That, I think, is the key to making great music overall, and great blues in particular.”
Fueled by a top-notch group of musicians, including Travis Carlton (Robben Ford, Scott Henderson) on bass, Scott Kinsey (Tribal Tech) keys, and drummer Gary Novak (George Benson, Chic Corea), and produced by world-renowned blues guitarist Josh Smith (and recorded at Smith’s Flat V Studios in Reseda, California), Keep on Turning finds Rosenbloom offering up six originals he wrote or co-wrote (with Boston-based blues guitarist Sonya Rae Taylor) along with three reworkings of blues standards from Elmore James, Freddie King and B.B. King.
Rosenbloom’s talent is in his ability to slowly build his solos, never quite fully showing his hand, but giving you just enough to warrant the need to see him live; he gives off the vibe that he could burn down a stage. On Keep on Turning, he never overplays, showing a strong discipline and sense of dynamics usually reserved for the elder statesmen of the blues. His vocals are clear yet forceful, with just enough blues bite to command authority of the material, sometimes sounding like a more aggressive Bob Weir.
Of his originals, the self-penned “Right About Now” is a highlight; a slow blues with a memorable hook and chord progression, the ache in its lyrics reflected in Rosenbloom’s vocal and guitar. The shuffling “I Can’t Help It” allows the band to show off some roadhouse swagger, while the oft-covered Elmore James warhorse, “Look Over Yonders Wall” is reimagined here into a funky Meters-style groove.
Elsewhere, B.B. King’s “Heartbreaker” and the Freddie King classic “Palace of the King” features the horns of Josh King and Jamelle Adisa – giving an old-school big-band blues feel to the proceedings. It’s a testament to Rosenbloom’s powerful vocal and guitar that he not only doesn’t get lost in a bigger band setting but continues to command center stage.
Another highlight is the burning “Broke and Lonely.” Rosenbloom’s guitar interplays seamlessly with Kinsey’s organ, as the ebb and flow of the Carlton and Novak rhythm section propel the slow blues ahead while simultaneously anchoring the groove.
Following his self-titled 2017 EP, Seth Rosenbloom comes fully into his own with Keep on Turning. It’s a testament to his (and Taylor’s) songwriting that the originals here fit perfectly alongside the classic blues standards included on this full-length debut. Listening to Keep on Turning, one is reassured that the future of the blues is in very capable hands. - Rock and Blues Muse
Discography
Keep On Turning - HOLMZ Music (2019)
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Bio
“For
me, playing the blues is all about expressing emotions,” guitarist and
vocalist Seth Rosenbloom insists. “What’s always drawn me to the genre
is the fact that it allows for an extraordinarily wide range of emotion.
That, I think, is the key to making great music overall, and great
blues in particular.”
Rosenbloom knows of what he speaks. Hailed by The Boston Globe as “a
searing blues-rock guitarist,” and The Noise Boston as a musician who
“makes his guitar growl and has a voice to match,” he’s been compared to
“a slightly younger and rawer version of Matt Schofield ,” by the Blues
PowR blog, which also praised him for “his gravelly, forceful vocals
and stinging guitar work.”
Those assessments were affirmed this past year, when Rosenbloom made his
bow with his debut self-titled EP. Now, with the release of his first
full length effort, Keep On Turning (January 18, 2019), he shows again
why he has been referred to as the future of blues guitar. An assertive
and authoritative artist and auteur, he demonstrates confidence and
credence with a set of songs that sounds every bit like a new set of
standards. He executes the material in ways that are both riveting and
embracing, with his dynamic delivery ensuring an emphatic impression.
Throughout the album, Rosenbloom commands center stage, with able support from Travis Carlton on bass (Robben Ford, Scott Henderson), Scott Kinsey (Tribal Tech) on keys and Gary Novak (George Benson, Chick Corea) on drums. Produced by Josh Smith, a world renowned blues guitarist in his own right, Keep On Turning was recorded at Smith’s Flat V Studios in Reseda, California.
Although firmly entrenched in the blues, Keep On Turning reflects a distinct diversity in the range of sentiment, as expressed in a selection of songs composed by Rosenbloom both on his own and with co-writer Sonya Rae Taylor. He also includes classic covers of B.B. King, Elmore James and Freddie King. From the emphatic wail of “Keep On Turning” and “Right About Now,” to the drive and determination of “Crawling Back” and “I Can’t Help It,” Rosenbloom’s passion and authenticity are on display throughout the album.“
This album is the culmination of everything I’ve ever aspired to musically,” Rosenbloom reflects. “I really wanted the album to represent the diversity that the blues has to offer, and I’m so pleased to have worked with such a wonderful producer and group of musicians who helped bring it to fruition.”
Then again, Rosenbloom’s no stranger to making music. Born into a musical family and raised in Waltham, Massachusetts, he began playing classical violin as a child and subsequently took up guitar at age eleven. Initially inspired by the music of Elvis and The Beatles, he earned a performance merit scholarship from Berklee College of Music by the time he was 16.
After spending a few years as an active sideman and in demand clinician, Rosenbloom stepped into the spotlight with the release of his self-titled EP in September 2017. He supported the recording with a string of tour dates up and down the East Coast, demonstrating at each stop his clear commitment to his craft and his ability to enthrall his audiences with his verve and versatility.
Rosenbloom has further expanded his reputation by spending much of this year on the road as well, introducing himself to his newly enthusiastic audiences. Whether demonstrating his dazzling guitar riffs and stinging vibrato, or emoting with his soaring and sultry vocals, he brings a distinctive power and personality to each of his performances. Now, with the release of Keep On Turning, he underscores that ability to add several specific hues to the blues.
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