Gonna Die Tryin’
Chris O’Leary
Studio: American Showplace Music
Release Date: September 11, 2015
Review Date: September 6, 2015

“Gonna Die Tryin’” is the fourth album by blues harp and guitar player, Chris O’Leary, and it is arguably his best disc yet.  For those of you who haven’t heard of him, he’s a Marine veteran (having served our country for seven years) as well as a former singer/harpist for the late Levon Helm’s band, Barnburners.

Chris has put to music some of his experiences and those tunes have landed on “Gonna Die Tryin’”. The disc has the grit and feel as if dust from the crossroads have laid heavily on it. 

The guitar work by O’Leary and his wingman, Chris Vitarello are as good as it gets. The keyboard work? Wow!  Bruce Katz kicks some major butt on the keys. The guy is just flat out amazing. Of course, all of this is the perfect backdrop to Chris’s masterful harp work.

Three randomly chosen Boomerocity favorites from “Gonna Die Tryin’” are:

• Letters From Home: This tune is the epitome of the blues. Down, lonely, and sad. It’s definitely the blues.

• The Machine: one will think it’s a cover of Red House but it goes into it’s own distinctive sound. It’s a fun tune to listen to repeatedly.

• Tell It To Me Straight: This track has an almost B.B. King kind of groove to it. This one earned tons of slaps of the repeat button. 

If you’re looking for some great, new blues, you will not go wrong getting your own copy of “Gonna Die Tryin’”. 

Yeah, it’s that good.