This [Back In Town] is like a travelogue of the blues, a trip around the U.S., checking
out the best music from Memphis soul to West Coast swing. NiteCry's performances, gripping original material, and tight-knit
arrangements, seduce the listener, cutting through the mass of this year's recordings like a whispered secret you can't wait
to share. It's got the tasty feel of early B.B. King, but is totally up-to-date- a place for old blues fans to meet and share
a beer and new blues fans to get their first taste of music that they will love for the rest of their lives.
Brad Kava / Music Critic, San Jose Mercury News
"You can judge blues guitarists by the company they keep. If someone is really hot, they will eventually
share the stage with the best players.
René Solis offers a case in point. Not only has he collaberated with the likes of Joe Louis Walker
and Tommy Castro, his résumé also includes a stint with a true blues legend, Albert King. 'I was the bandleader for Larry
"Arkansas" Davis, who wrote Texas Flood. Stevie (Ray Vaughn) made a big hit out of it,' Solis said. 'During that
time, he introduced me to Albert King.'
'Working and backing up Albert King was the greatest. He showed a lot of respect, he threw the
solos around freely. He was a hard guy to work for, and he liked me for whatever reason. My prized possession is a video I
have with Albert of him yelling to me "C'mon, go get 'em."'
It is perhaps no wonder, then, that Solis is the mastermind behind the Blues Guitar Extravaganza...
'I've been producing this show for about five years now, about once every four to six months,' Solis said. 'It truly remains
a special event since it's not a weekly or monthly gig. Over the last four years, it's really picked up steam, we've been
moving it to various locations.'
Solis makes it a point of featuring unknown but happening blues players... 'At first, I had to contact
(them) and let them know what it was all about,' he said. 'Over the last two years, it's the other way around. They're calling
me saying, "When are you going to get me on one of these shows?"'
'It's like a revue,' Solis said in describing the format. 'Not only does each player do their
own little set, I'll start mixing and matching. As the show progresses, it gets better and better. At the end of the night,
everyone will be onstage at one time.'
'It's not a matter of who's better,' he added, 'It's more of a respect that each player has. It's
great to watch the other guys' faces- they're kind of like watching the show, too.'
Solis established his Northern California blues credentials as a member of NiteCry, which also featured
Castro. The band toured for 12 years and released two albums... NiteCry reunited in 2003 and has worked its way back onto
the touring circuit.
Of course, blues guitarists are not defined solely by their résumé. The best also manage to create
an individual sound. There, too, Solis meets the criteria. 'I kind of mix a little soul and R&B and funk along with my
own blues changes, so it's not just your straight-up blues,' he said. 'I write a lot of my own material, it helps me kind
of take it to a different direction. Hopefully, you find your own voice.'"
Aaron Davis / The Stockton Recorder
"...René Solis, as tasty a blues musician as you will find anywhere in the country. Originals, covers-
this guy does it all. And for my money he does it better than all of those so-called 'smooth and clean' blues artists."
Brad Kava / Music Critic, San Jose Mercury News
"All over the world, somber moods linger like evil shadows in a dark alley. Yet, René Solis, the
adept popular blues artist from the San Francisco Bay area, knows how to defy the darkness and chase those cruel penumbras
away. His throaty lyrics, imaginative storytelling, and his extremely slick, determined guitar licks resurrect one's soul
after feeling it unfairly murdered by the heartache in life.
...René Solis' music took my mind and soul on a captivating journey. Together we went to the school
of hard knocks and felt the southern heat and lightening of Memphis, Tennessee. I grinned like the Cheshire cat listening
to the unique, soulful dialogue of a man trying to console his woman's insecurities... then I cashed in my E-ticket and rode
the train of lost love and misery to the dreaded welfare line. My spirit stood in line, giggling to myself while my stomach
growled for a Twinkie. By the end, I was betting on the ponies, feeding the voracious slot machines, spending my quarters
on the ice cream man and having a blues party.
Resurrection's a delightfully rich, blues compilation. I thoroughly loved René Solis! If you're feeling
beaten by the cruel hands of life, let this blues man comfort and awaken you with his talent, emotion, and raw as silk style.
René Solis is an amazing musician who's shared the stage with many great blues artists such as Albert King, Shemekia Copeland,
John Lee Hooker, Luther Tucker, Kenny Neal, and former NiteCry member Tommy Castro...."
This review is copyright 2003 by Mia Jennings, and Blues On Stage, all rights
reserved. Copyrights reserved. Copy, duplication or download prohibited without permission.
"René Solis is a long time member of the San Francisco Bay Area music scene and founding member
of the band NiteCry, which featured another blues notable, Tommy Castro. During his association with Bay Area blues,
Solis has backed up such blues notables as Luther Tucker, Shemekia Copeland, Albert King, and John Lee Hooker. E
Ticket Ride... is packed with eight fine songs. Five of the eight are written by René Solis or co-written with
Mark Gilbert who also co-produced the CD with Solis. The three remaining covers are excellent and include a fine cover of
"Mojo Boogie" written by the late, great J.B. Lenoir. Several times during my listening through E Ticket Ride,
I was struck by the similarity of René's guitar sound to another blues great, Freddy King."
Dave "Doc" Piltz
"E Ticket Ride is a funky blend of West Coast and Chicago blues that demonstrates
[Solis'] capacity for both soulful, slow hip grinders and up-tempo booty-shakin' numbers.'
Chuck Thurman, Coast Weekly
"The [Persuader's] debut CD, E Ticket Ride, features mostly Solis-written
or co-written numbers with two choice covers. This CD continues in the same vein as his [Solis'] popular band NiteCry with
up-tempo, highly charged blues, jump blues, and R&B with Solis' vocals and guitar front and center."
Mac McDonald / Entertainment Editor, Monterey Country Herald
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