NEW RELEASE... ON THE CHARTS NOW! ! !

 BLUES BLAST MAGAZINE says:

StratCat Willie Hayes has been playing the southern tier of New York for more than 60 years, but the guitarist shows no signs of slowing down with this set. Just the fourth album in his lengthy career, he and his Strays swing steadily from the jump here, delivering a pleaser chockful of contemporary appeal and old-school cool.

Based out of Watkins Glen, Willie grew up influenced by T-Bone Walker, Mike Bloomfield, B.B. King and others but fronted and played in cover bands until 1995. That’s when he founded his first blues group, Blues Plate Special, a harmonica-fueled ensemble that delivered originals when not dipping into the catalogs of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Little Charlie & the Nightcats and others.

One of the most underexposed artists in the business, this is only Willie’s fourth album ever. Blues Plate Special released one disc, Hot ‘n Tasty, in the early 2000s. And he’s produced three with the Strays since 2019, when he assembled some of his longtime playing partners to form this group – an ensemble that would be exploring other styles of blues than he’d been playing through the years.

Their album effort, On the Prowl, spent six months on the Roots Music Charts after making its debut on SiriusXM’s Bluesville. This CD is a follow-up to On a Hot Tin Roof, an all-original effort released at the height of the COVID 19 pandemic and reflected the darkness of the time. It also delivered a jump-blues feel thanks to the addition of horns and backing vocals.

The subject matter of this one has shifted with lyrics dealing with the unpredictability of life in the modern world and the difficult decisions we must make. A mostly original set recorded at 8 Days a Week Studios and Sunwood Recording, Willie handles six-string throughout and handles vocals on ten of the tunes.

He’s backed by the driving rhythms of bassist Ted Goldwyn and drummer Dave Salce with Rich Graiko on trumpet, Josh Cohen on sax, backing vocals from SingTrece and Mabel Welch and guest appearances from vocalist Blu Lou Cicconi and percussionist Jeremy Hummel for one cut each.

StratCat Willie’s powerful single-note solo gets things off to a swinging start with “I Ain’t Got Nothin’.” Written by Blu Lou and featuring him on the mic, the stop-time number serves up a complaint about being “so poor I can’t afford to die…I ain’t got nothin’…at least I got the blues.” In this day and age, it’s something we can relate to.

Willie’s pleasant, well-worn tenor takes over for the rest of the set, beginning with “Demons Within,” a driving, minor-key blues that finds him out of breath and covered with sweat but unable to escape from the thoughts that trouble him. In the rapid-fire rocker, “Slow Down,” other folks are urging the singer to cool his jets because they fear he’s not going to survive if he keeps living at the pace he’s going while the loping “Go on Home” finds him in a different dilemma entirely. This time he’s at the bar and being tormented by his lady. Despite all the good times they’ve had, he states that he’s through with her and urges her to leave — so he can be alone with his beer. The theme continues in the pulsating “No Pleasin’ You,” which questions the woman – this time, about what’s wrong with her now.

The uptempo, Latin-flavored instrumental “Consuela” is up next, giving Willie a chance to show off his prodigious six-string skills. Then the rock-steady “Ain’t Gonna Change” finds him admitting he’s lived his life by calling them like he sees ’em and stating it’s far too late to go in a different direction now. The theme that continues in the minor-key rocker, “I’m Down,” in which he finds himself so far gone that he’s wondering if he’ll ever get back on his feet again.

Hambone Willie Newbern’s “Rollin’ and Tumblin’,” the only cover in the set, starts slowly but quickly picks up speed. The situation is precarious in the song that follows. StratCat hears “the old man” – the unnamed Grim Reaper – knocking on his door as he’s struggling to get out of the bed in the languorous “Don’t Let Him In.” Willie may be getting old, he says, but there’s nothing going to stop him from getting to go out and play. It’s a message delivered in style in the blazing closer, “StratCat Boogie.”

Rock-solid blues you can use. StratCat Willie started late but serves up another winner here.NOTE: Due to prohibitive shipping costs, International customers must use Amazon or a similar point of purchase.

Click the link to sample the tunes!

https://stratcatwilliethestrays.hearnow.com/dont-slow-down