Generally it’s not my style to ask you to buy an album. I tell you what I think, and then you make up your own mind. That’s the way it should be. This time, however, I am going to make an exception in the case of the Philadelphia band Slo-Mo. The reason is simply this; I want to see this band live. For a number of years, in which the band has produced three wonderful albums, I have wanted to see Slo-Mo live. The problem is, jobs, family responsibilities, and other commitments have kept the band from playing outside of Eastern Pennsylvania. Yes, I could take the 90 minute drive to Philadelphia to see them play, but I just haven’t been able to work that out. Besides, I want you to see them too. I want them to come to your city. So I figure if we all go out and buy their new album, Gimme What You Got, they’ll have enough money to tour the world. And even if they don’t, it’s a really good album.

At the core of Slo-Mo is the somewhat unlikely partnership of Mike ‘Slo-Mo’ Brenner, a virtuoso steel guitar player, and a rapper named Mic Wrecka. Together with their band, including vocalist Susan Rosetti, they make some of the more interesting sounds you’re likely to hear these days. For such a talented musician, Brenner has had a tendency to keep his playing understated in the past, allowing the band to create a nice funky, somewhat mellow groove as a back drop for Mic Wrecka’s imaginative, uplifting messages. This time out, Brenner makes it known from the opening track, “Skanky”, that he’s a force to be reckoned with as he unleashes the most torrid playing he’s ever recorded. “County” is another song in this musical vein as Brenner lays down a wicked riff over the martial drumbeat of Mark Schreiber, and Wrecka describes the drama of lockup. (more…)