Matt Lomeo: “When You Call” (2022) CD Review

The music scene here in Los Angeles is tremendous. If you go out often enough to catch live music, you’ll start to recognize certain players who seem to play all the time with a good variety of artists. People like Ted Russell Kamp, John McDuffie and Carl Byron are certainly among their number, folks that artists want to have playing with them whenever possible. Matt Lomeo is another of these guys. He has played harmonica with a lot of folks in recent years, and hosts a weekly jam at Ireland’s 32. In 2022, he released When You Call, his first full-length album, featuring all original material that he wrote or co-wrote. Matt Lomeo sings and plays harmonica on these tracks, and is joined by Billy Watts on guitar; Terry Wilson on bass, keyboard, guitar and vocals; James Cruce on drums and percussion; Teresa James on piano and vocals; Kevin McKendree on organ and electric piano; and Darrell Leonard on horns. You might recognize some of those names as being members of Teresa James And The Rhythm Tramps. The album was produced by Terry Wilson, one of the members of that band.

In the album’s opening track, “One More 1 & 1,” Matt Lomeo sings, “I used to drink good whiskey in this barroom/Laughing, having fun with my sweetheart/But since she left me, I stick with the cheap stuff/I need one and one to get me through the night.” Oh man, that is the roughest result of losing a woman, not being able to drink the good stuff. As you’d expect, this lead-off track features a strong harmonica lead, and that’s my favorite part of the song. There is also some nice stuff on keys. Plus, this track has horns and some great backing vocal work. By the way, Teresa James is another of those folks that perform with many artists in addition to leading her own band. Matt Lomeo changes gears then, taking us out to an island with “Unsentimental You.” There is a deliciously playful aspect to this song. These are the song’s first lines: “When we kiss, it thrills me so/But if it thrills you, I don’t know/‘Cause once you’re gone and the kissing’s through/I’m lucky if I hear from you.” I love the way he delivers the song’s title line. I’m also quite fond of the drumming on this track. Really, everything about this song is delightful, including its cha-cha-cha ending.

“Accepting Applications” has something of a classic rhythm and blues vibe, with a bit of a 1960s sound and flavor. It features great stuff on backing vocals. “Accepting applications for a broken heart/I’ve been down so long I don’t know where to start/I thought our love could be new/But now I only feel used.” There is a good lead on harmonica halfway through. That’s followed by “She Was The Best,” the harmonica introducing this one. There is a sweeter vocal delivery on this track, Matt delivering some really nice work. I dig this song, even though it employs that “self”/“shelf” rhyme, something I really wish songwriters would avoid. Here is a taste of the lyrics: “Still you gave me all your love so willingly/But I learned far too late/The fruits of passion/They would be sweeter than any love yet to be.” This is more great stuff on harmonica toward the end. Then “When You Call,” the album’s title track, features a strong groove and nice work on keys. There is a bit of a funky edge at moments. “I’m working on my spirit/I’m working on my mind/I’m working on my body/I hope you’re right on time.” It’s right around those lines that this track gets especially fun.

“Got A New Woman” has a cheerful, playful vibe that is immediately enjoyable. “One thing, babe, I need you to understand/Is that I got a new woman now/You had one chance for me to be your man/And, darling, you blew it/Now if you think I’m gonna love you/You ought to know that I ain’t gonna do it.” I love his vocal approach. Plus, this track features some cool work on guitar, and of course some great stuff on harmonica. Seriously, that harmonica lead in the second half is one of my favorite parts of the album, that instrument speaking as eloquently as any voice is able. This track is one of the disc’s highlights. That’s followed by “27,” a song about being a singer. “The nights are long, the closing lights are lonely/I’m by myself again when the party’s through/With a ragged throat and a couple small bills to fold/And tomorrow night I have another show to do.” The song’s title refers to the character’s age. If you know anything about music at all, you know that 27 is a dangerous year for musicians, and so we wonder when he sings “I need a honky tonk angel to send me up to heaven” if he is speaking literally or figuratively. This song has a light, cheerful country vibe.

Matt Lomeo slows things down with “Take The Boulevard,” in which he sings, “This boulevard goes for miles and miles/Times are hard, they’ve been hard for a while.”  I wonder which street he had in mind when writing those lines, for there are many boulevards in Los Angeles that go for miles and miles. However, this one goes to Calabasas (which he rhymes with “where your ass is”), so I’m guessing the road in question is Ventura Boulevard. Anyway, he gives a very cool, passionate vocal performance here. Plus, this track contains more strong work on harmonica. This one was written by Matt Lomeo and Terry Wilson. That’s followed by “Outside Of A Song,” in which he sings, “It was some work to do/To get over you.” And he wonders if that work is quite through. Nice. This is a slow, intimate number, featuring some cool work on guitar. A beautiful instrumental section concludes this one, and, yes, there is some wonderful stuff on harmonica in there. Then “Why Do I Cry?” is a lively number that goes through some changes, each section taking us back to earlier times with its delicious country and rock and roll vibes. “It’s been months since you left on an airplane/Believe me, I was happy to see you go/And though a tear wet my eye for love gone wrong/I knew it’d dry when springtime flowers come.” This track also features some wonderful stuff on keys.

Another of the album’s outstanding vocal performances is on “Van Nuys Blues.” “Well, I guess I need a change of scene/In Hollywood, my money ain’t green/I sit and think aloud/How I miss the usual crowd/Down on Sunset Boulevard.” Such a cool vocal delivery. And check out that work on keys. This is a song about moving to Van Nuys as quickly as possible. Probably the only song about that, actually. My girlfriend has only lived in L.A. for five or six years, but she’s already taken on that typical L.A. attitude against Van Nuys, which I find hilarious. I’ve had some great times in Van Nuys, and I think of that wonderful Los Abandoned song, “Van Nuys (Es Very Nice).” And it is in Van Nuys that the bar is located where Matt Lomeo hosts that weekly jam. This song mentions that bar by name. But I love even more when he sings that he has a parking space (something everyone in L.A. understands the importance of). This song is delightful. I think it could be enjoyable even to those who have no idea where Van Nuys is, but certainly will be a treat for those who do know Van Nuys. And near the end, he offers some playful scat. I love it. “Van Nuys is the place to be.” Then in “Took My Bar And Left” he sings, “I like a dim-lit bar room where they know my name.” This one features some wonderful work by special guest Paulie Cerra on tenor saxophone. You might have heard Paulie Cerra’s work on the new Kelly’s Lot album, and actually Matt Lomeo has also played with that band. Anyway, in this song Matt sings about a woman who begins chatting up all the bar’s regulars. Hey, I knew she was trouble the moment Matt Lomeo sang, “She never misses a night of karaoke.” I rank karaoke close to having blood drawn on the list of things I want to avoid. The album concludes with a reprise of its title track. “Don’t know when you’re coming/But I know where I’ll be.”

CD Track List

1. One More 1 & 1
2. Unsentimental You
3. Accepting Applications
4. She Was The Best
5. When You Call
6. Got A New Woman
7. 27
8. Take The Boulevard
9. Outside Of A Song
10. Why Do I Cry?
11. Van Nuys Blues
12. Took My Bar And Left Me
13. When You Call (Reprise)

When You Call was released on June 24, 2022.