Sean McKee Band – In This Life
Glass Amulet Records – 2023
6 tracks; 21 minutes
This four piece band comes from Chicago, led by guitarist and vocalist Sean McKee, with Drew D’Astice on second guitar, Chris Pecoraro on bass and Danny Lozano on drums; keys are added by Pete Spero to some tracks. Sean is now in his late twenties and has been playing since his early teens: inspired by Anthony Gomes and Nick Moss, he was mentored by Nick’s older brother Joe, who took him on the road as second guitarist for four years before Sean established his own band in 2020. Following an earlier EP entitled So Long My Queen in 2022, In This Life is his second release.
Sean handles the vocals on all tracks and does a good job. The six tunes are all originals, three written by Sean alone, two by him and Drew and one by him and Chris. Although he is from Chicago, the music is not really blues, more a Rock album with other influences coming through. “Lusting For Gold” is a strong opener with a distinctive core riff, a blend of Southern Rock with a hint of Tom Petty, swirling organ featuring in the middle section. The title track has more of a country tinge, especially in Drew’s guitar solo which sounds very much like the late Dickey Betts, while there is more of a blues feel on “Broke, Tired And Lonely”, a slower tune with some good guitar work from both players, well supported by piano. A tale of visiting a late-night party, “East Valley Lane”, rushes along with an insistent bass line and a big guitar solo and the fast pace continues with “Tigerfish” which features the guitarists working in harness. This track was released as a single, possibly because of the stop-start rhythms and choral vocals which underpin Sean’s strong lead. The album closes with “Monster”, a live track which is certainly blues-based, with big guitars in Allmans style, with lyrics about life beginning to unravel: “The monster inside me, how can I feed him?”
Not an album for blues purists, but the playing and vocals indicate a band with talent who may well go far in the blues-rock world.
