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Mike De La Cerda
American Gypsy
Vision Records
By Scott Snidow
 Frequent
readers of Rockzillaworld are familiar with what our mission
statement says, but for those occasional readers, let me point
you to that line right below our banner. You see it there? Those
seven little words sum up our existence; "shining a light
upon music that matters."
Well friends and neighbors, to shine a light on this particular
record, I'm gonna have to roll out that giant 10 gazillon megawatt
search light we keep out back for times just like these. Because
this album is big. Not big like modern city skyscrapers kind
of big, but big like the Himalayas, timeless and classic. You
know...BIG.
In American Gypsy, New Orleans native turned Key West
denizen Mike De La Cerda has incorporated the sounds and riffs
and gadgetry of hundreds of blues-rockers before him. His education
at the hands of past masters shows in every track of this album.
It is filled with fat, juicy guitar riffs backed with full, round
bass and monster percussion. Hints of Hendrix here, traces of
Alvin Lee there, and even certain elements of blue eyed soul-rockers
such as Rare Earth. But don't think that this is some living-in-the-past-wish-I-had-been-there
kind of album, for it is far from it. This is a very modern,
state of the art, intensely personal record.
It is also an ambitious record. Not only does De La Cerda
wear the hats of musician, singer and songwriter, but he produced
this project as well. All too often I have found that self produced
records tend to be one dimensional, since the artist seems more
focused on some personal vision of what they want for the album,
rather than concerning themselves with what their listening public
may be wanting to hear. This is not true with American Gypsy.
De La Cerda has maintained his personal vision, whatever that
may have been, while delivering a multi-dimensional, listener
friendly, kick ass rock and roll album.
American Gypsy does pay tribute to some of De La Cerda's
musical forbears. He does covers of Bob Dylan and Johnny Winter
songs. One notable cover is the treatment that he gives to Jimi
Hendrix's "Are You Experienced," coaxing pseudo-psychedelic
sounds while delivering a version unique to the original. So
unique, in fact, that in my first listening to this CD I thought
to myself that the lyrics sounded familiar, though the score
didn't quite register with me. That was until De La Cerda reached
that famous musical refrain, "...are you experienced? Have
you ever been experienced? Well I have." This is a tribute
worthy of note, with musical licks borrowed from the master while
the pupil inserts his own touches to prove that he has learned
all too well. In "Tribute to George Harrison," De La
Cerda proves just how well he understands the physics of his
guitar and the gadgetry he uses by actually making the guitar
sound like a sitar.
This album, however, is not about paying homage to the artists
that have gone before. It is about building on the foundation
that they laid a musical effort so ambitious and large that it
seems to encompass the breadth and scope of modern music. On
some of his original tracks, De La Cerda infuses elements of
soul, blues, jazz, and plain old honest rock and roll. There
is some guitar gadgetry and some straightforward searing white-hot
licks. There are trumpets and saxophones, pianos and meaty sounding
Wurlitzer's, all blending with De La Cerda's soulful voice and
lyrics to make this one hell of a rock and roll album.
On a scale from one to five, this album gets six stars.
The spotlight is off; you can remove your sunglasses.
www.mikedelacerda.com
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