I dare you to listen to this music and sit still.
11/13/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This album is just plain great, toe-tapping blues. I dare you to listen to this album and sit still. It can't be done. What a great first album this is.Oakland, California, has a long history of involvement with the blues, and Carlos Zialcita is certainly doing his part to add the the mix. He's a dymamite blues harmonica player, and the title cut, Train Through Oakland, shows he can write music as well - it combines train sounds, as only a harmonica can, with a more than solid beat from Nick Otis' drums, and Brad Pie's tight rhythm guitar - and it tells a story, too - just delightful! Carlos' other songs, Wondering and Waiting, Moon Over Cliffland, Chance For Love, and Jive n' Rhumba show a wide range of style and great blues harp playing. And then there's the Johnny Otis band doing back up - you can't beat that. Johnny's classic So Fine is one of the album highlights for me. Love it. Baby, Scratch My Back, with it's chicken sounding guitar and body-inhabiting rhythm is fabulous. This is a great dance CD - or driving to work music to wake you up and put in a good mood. I recommend it highly."