"Well, they call me Mean Gene 'cause they say I Play a mean guitar."

It takes an incredible amount of arrogance to write a song about how good you are. It takes even more arrogance to make that the title cut of your CD. That arrogance instantly gets transformed to confidence when you can back up the claims with a blistering performance.

From the opening riff of "Mean Guitar" to the fadeout on "Party On The Levee," the newest offering by Texas bluesmen Mean Gene Kelton & The Die Hards delivers on the promise of the title. While it doesn't break new musical ground or offer up new or even complex blues arrangements, it does offer solid songwriting backed by blistering, heartfelt performance.

The new CD picks up right where Most Requested left off, offering up another mix across the spectrum of the blues. Songs like "Give Blues A Chance" and "Sweet Mother Blues" simply beg for a live, improv performance. The slow, wailing "Ghost In My House" and acoustic blues of "These Blues Are Kickin' My Ass" showcase the slower, melodic side of the blues while rockers like the title cut and "Give Blues A Chance" show that these boys can rock with the best of them.

If you love blues rock done right, grab this CD right away. If you don't, get "Mean Guitar" and you will.

While Amazon seems to be "Out Of Stock" with the CD's, you can order them direct from the Merchandise section of the Mean Gene Kelton & The Die Hards Website.