Luke Mulholland Band - Further

Self release

www.lukemulholland.com

www.myspace.com/lukemulhollandmusic

8 songs; Time 31:24; Meritable

Style: Pop-Rock, Blues-Rock

Come on you Baby Boomers, admit it. You were raised on Rock and spent much of the 1970s “Rocking.” You are Blues fans now, but every once in a while, you enjoy a little Rock music to take you back. If this describes you, give 19 year old guitar hero Luke Mulholland a try.

Currently touring as the opening act for Dickey Betts, Luke received his first classical guitar at age 10 and quickly progressed from playing “little classical ditties” to “playing power chords” in the vein of bands like Blink-182 and Limp Bizkit, to finally trying to master the guitar technique of music from his parents’ generation, such as Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page.
By 13, Luke was writing songs and performing locally in Toronto, Canada. Luke was also busy at work in his bedroom, writing and recording his debut album, “Road Home,” on a sixteen-track digital workstation, handling all guitar, bass, drum programming and vocal duties.

Six years, three more albums and countless gigs later, Luke has an impressive stat sheet. After winning a local vote-based competition, he opened for Bon Jovi in Toronto, playing to a crowd of 18,000 and receiving accolades from Richie Sambora for that night’s performance. He has also opened for Loverboy, late guitar legend Jeff Healey, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Blue Oyster Cult, Dickey Betts and Mountain – not to mention his headlining shows in the US and Canada. Currently, Luke is a Boston, Massachusetts resident attending the world-renown Berklee School of Music.

Luke’s latest record, “Further,” was recorded in December 2007 in Toronto, and I can only infer from the lack of liner notes that it was recorded entirely by Luke and Steve Major. The CD finds Mulholland’s lyrics improving, his vocals sounding more mature, and the music with more improvising.

The album features the single “Drowning,” a bouncy pop tune highlighted by acoustic guitars and electric guitar leads underneath Mulholland’s solid vocals detailing his relationship with a girl who has been steadfast in support.
The album’s title track, “Further,” simmers at mid tempo with Mulholland exploring lower registers on his guitar and tossing in a tasty slide solo mid-song.

“The Last Verse” adds organ to the soaring mix as Luke is not too young to appreciate contemporary changes that are not for the better. He and his guitar lament the disappearance of the Classic Rock he fell in love with. For that, he uses a metaphor of a young girl who died before her time.

“Rambling On My Mind” is as close to Blues as the CD comes. Curiously, Luke credits himself as the author, but the song’s roots are clearly from Robert Johnson. It does feature some tasty slide guitar work and an exceptionally strong bass line.

Luke Mulholland is someone I would like to see live because I know he could burn masterfully on a slow blues number. It is not what this album is about, but I know he has it in him in his limitless future.

Reviewer James “Skyy Dobro” Walker is a noted Blues writer, DJ and Blues Blast contributor. His weekly radio show “Friends of the Blues” can be heard each Thursday from 4:30 – 6:00pm on WKCC 91.1 FM in Kankakee, IL
To See James “Skyy Dobro” Walker's CD rating system, CLICK HERE