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Rob Tognoni Catfish Cake Review by Gary Hill If you like blues based rock with killer guitar work, this album might just be the prescription you need. Of course, if your political leanings find you aligning with certain conspiracy theorists, you are likely to get angered by a couple of the songs. Personally, I applaud anyone calling out that silly movement, so I guess you'll probably be enraged by this whole review. No matter where you stand, though, if you ignore the political lyrics, you can't deny the power of the music. This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2021 Volume 6. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2021.

Track by Track Review

New Set Of Rays This powers in with some killer blues rocking sound. I'm reminded just a bit of ZZ Top.

Dealin' At The Crossroads A fiercer rocking mode is on the menu. This is high energy, driving and so cool.

Captain Magic This powerhouse is among the highlights of the disc. The guitar soloing is purely fierce.

Fat Orange Man Now, here we get a bluesy rocker that reminds me a little of AC/DC. Fans of the 45th President of the United States will probably not enjoy the lyrics of this tune. The cut has more of a traditional blues sound than the AC/DC comparison would suggest. The song earns a definite parental advisory for the lyrics. I don't think I've heard a chorus so laden with "f bombs" be so catchy before.

Superficial There is a short spoken bit at the start, seeming like a quote from a superficial person. The actual song is a classy rocker with plenty of blues in the mix. There are some different sections, with a faster one later driving into more mainstream rock.

No Sleep In Hell This is very interesting. There are things about it that make me think of Cream. Other things call to mind AC/DC. Still, it's all original as delivered. This is a powerhouse rocker. It's one of my favorites here.

She Waited A stripped back cut, this doesn't work as well for me. In fact, if there's one to skip, it's this one. That said, it does bring some variety.

James Brown From the skippable to the sublime, this is on fire. It's packed full of classy funk music.

Makin' Me Live Slow moving and fiercely blues oriented, this is a killer tune. I love the slide guitar on this thing.

Conspiracy Deep State This smoking hot rocker goes after the Qanon people by name. It gets a parental advisory for the lyrics. Anyone calling out those crazies is great in my book. It doesn't hurt that the song is on fire, too.

Outback I dig this rocker a lot. It isn't anything fancy, but it really works so well.

Full Recovery The closer is another killer rocker. This has more of a nearly metal feeling to it.

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