Search - Mike Keneally :: Sluggo

Diverse, accessible but difficult to classify gem

JD | 04/09/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's rare to find an album this accessible on the first listen but so hard to describe. That's because it's a diverse album, with excellent songwriting and engaging hooks, but unique in its approach to these very same songs. The tunes range from hard rock to jazz fusion to, for lack of a better word, complex rock. Keneally once toured with Frank Zappa so there's a Zappa influence, but this is definitely no Zappa clone. And even though Keneally has plenty of chops to spare, it's not a guitar god album either. "Potato", "Why Am I Your Guy?" and "Frozen Beef (Come With Me)" are as catchy as they are original; Egg Zooming is excellent Brufordesque fusion; and Looking for Nina is Zappaesque in its eccentricity. This album is not for those who are looking for the same style of song throughout with a sappy ballad thrown in. It's also not for those who cringe at the name "Frank Zappa" for no good reason. It is for those who have diverse tastes--perhaps a progressive or fusion bent like early Queen, Yes, Bruford, or Return to Forever, but equally comfortable with "The White Album" and perhaps hard rock acts like early Van Halen or Stone Temple Pilots--hey even a little Joni Mitchell thrown in."

A true musician in the full sense of the word.

JD | Chicago, IL | 03/01/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"With all the people out there that just "play in a band," it's refreshing to come across a true, 100% real, musician. Mike Keneally is someone who puts as much effort into evolving his songwriting as he does his guitar playing (and piano and drums and singing.)I feel lucky in that my first exposure to Mike's music was at a live show. Their performance was just as diverse as their album, probably more so. In the middle of one of their sets, they broke into a great rendition of "I'm So Tired" off the White Album. I ordered "Sluggo!" the next day.This album is chock full of creative goodness. Everything from the odd-yet-hypnotic grooves in "Looking For Nina" to the so-catchy-it's-stuck-in-your-head riffs in "Chatfield Manor." Not only can Mike Keneally write a song that makes you listen to it, he's one of the best guitarists I've heard in a long time. He ranks right up there with his friend, Steve Vai.As a final note, I just want to say that if you get a chance to see Mike Keneally or Beer For Dolphins in concert, DO NOT pass it up."

Keneally's best to date! The next level of Mike's genius...

R. Moses | New Hampshire | 08/11/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Mike's music has always been difficult to describe, and "Sluggo!" does not make things any easier in that regard. Let's try anyway: "brilliant, genius-laden, eclectic, wonderful, out-of-the-ordinary, pop-rock-almostjazzy-prog excellence." "Sluggo!" follows logically from the also-outstanding "hat." and "Boil That Dust Speck" in that is an almost complete departure while still maintaining that unmistakeable Keneally charm. Sometimes it rocks, sometimes it soothes, always is amazes. You cannot go wrong with any of Mike's releases, but "Sluggo!" is most certainly the top of the heap. At least until his next album..."