Mike Zito: “Life Is Hard” (2024) CD Review

Life Is Hard is the title of singer and guitarist Mike Zito’s new blues album, and that title reflects the feelings of many folks these days. With rent being too high in many places, and wages not keeping up with the cost of living, and what with trying to hold onto one’s sanity in a time when nearly half the country has gone ‘round the bend (and that’s the portion that is also armed – yikes!), life certainly is hard (and that’s not even taking into consideration everyone’s personal troubles). But the blues make life a little less hard, don’t they? This album contains mostly covers, along with a couple of original tunes, and the tracks feature some fantastic guitar work and rousing vocal performances. Joining Mike Zito on this release are Joe Bonamassa on guitar, Josh Smith on guitar, Reese Wynans on keyboards, Calvin Turner on bass, Lemar Carter on drums, Jade MacRae on backing vocals, and Dannielle Deandrea on backing vocals, along with some guests on a few tracks.

Mike Zito opens the album with a cover of Little Milton’s “I’m A Lonely Man,” here called “Lonely Man,” this version having a good, hopping groove. “Baby, don’t you know, don’t you know that I love you?” Paulie Cerra plays saxophone on this one, delivering some delicious work to help give a classic feel to the track. And check out that great work on keys. The band gets a chance to jam a bit here, and a really good guitar lead follows that stuff on keys. The track is mainly powered by Mike Zito’s energetic vocal performance. That’s followed by the album’s title track, “Life Is Hard,” a song written by Fred James, and previously included on Mike Zito’s live album Blues For The Southside, which was released in 2022. “Life ain’t easy/It’s a long, hard, rocky road,” Mike Zito sings at the beginning of this one. Well, I don’t know about the “long” part; it feels so incredibly short to me. But you can’t argue with these lines: “No matter how you try/Life is hard, and then you die.” And Mike Zito’s vocal performance is passionate. He pulls us right to the edge on this track, and that electric guitar adds its own testimony to back up everything he’s been singing. Oh man, that guitar is like a fiery knife ripping open the sky and daring the heavens to rain. Fantastic stuff.

Then we get a cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Have A Talk With God,” a song from his excellent 1976 double album Songs In The Key Of Life. This track has such a great groove, with a bit of funk, and it turns out to be the perfect choice to follow “Life Is Hard,” for here Mike Zito sings, “But when you feel your life’s too hard/Just go have a talk with God.” This track contains some wonderful backing vocal work. That’s followed by the first of the album’s original compositions, “Forever My Love,” a slower number featuring another passionate vocal performance. “Forever, my love/I will always be true/Forever, my love/I will always be with you/Until the end of time.” It’s a love song, yes, but with heartache in his voice preparing us for the lines, “Now that you’re gone/This love carries on.” The guitar aches too, sharing the burden, and is able to let loose, releasing some of that ache by expressing it. “This pain I feel inside/Will always be my guide/And never leave my heart.” You can feel that, can’t you? That line about pain being his guide is heart-wrenching. This is a powerful number.

“No One To Talk To (But The Blues)” is a song written by Wayne Walker and George Sherry, and recorded by Lefty Frizzell and Shirley Caddell in the late 1950s. And there is something of that classic vibe in this rendition by Mike Zito. I love the work on keys, and of course there is some excellent stuff on electric guitar. And this track lightens the mood somewhat after the emotional impact of the previous song. Mike Zito then delivers a heavy, pounding rendition of “Dying To Do Wrong,” a song written by Tinsley Ellis. “Well, liquor make me evil/Make me mistreat my best friend/Cocaine make you crazy/You lose your mind in the end.” That’s followed by an interesting rendition of “These Eyes,” written by Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings. As it begins, it has a strong 1970s vibe. This track features a really good vocal performance by Mike Zito, plus some wonderful stuff from the backing vocalists. It also features Jennifer Kumma and Anna Spina on French horn.

This album also contains an excellent rendition of Tab Benoit’s “Darkness.” As Mike Zito sings, “She’s dragging me low,” we can hear the truth of it in his voice, particularly his delivery of the word “low.” This is another performance from right on the edge, where some of the best blues music thrives. “So please, please forgive me/Let’s walk side by side/Fill in this darkness between you and I.” And the guitar is just as eloquent in its plea. That’s followed by the album’s second original composition, “Without Loving You.” “What am I going to do/With all this love I have for you?” he asks at the beginning. What do you do with that love when the person you love is gone? Put it into the blues. This song has a strong groove, and features another passionate vocal performance. Then Mike Zito tackles Walter Trout’s “Nobody Moves Me Like You Do.” As this track begins, it has a cool, heavy 1970s sound, which I immediately dig. And then that wild blues guitar takes off from there.

The final track on the disc is a cover of “Death Don’t Have No Mercy,” written by Reverend Gary Davis (also sometimes known as Blind Gary Davis). This is a song I first heard done by the Grateful Dead. This version by Mike Zito is powerful and comes as a surprise. The first several lines are delivered a cappella, and the silence between lines is striking, particularly in contrast to all that has come before. He is soon backed by some great gospel vocal work (Steve Ray Ladson joins him on backing vocals on this one). And then the instruments join their voices. This is a compelling and phenomenal rendition. You can hear the pain particularly in the instrumental section in the middle. I highly recommend checking out this track. Its sudden ending is startling; it’s like death has grabbed hold again. Wow. By the way, the CD case lists a twelfth track, “Forever My Love (Radio Edit),” but it’s not there, at least not on my copy.

CD Track List

1. Lonely Man
2. Life Is Hard
3. Have A Talk With God
4. Forever My Love
5. No One To Talk To (But The Blues)
6. Dying To Do Wrong
7. These Eyes
8. Darkness
9. Without Loving You
10. Nobody Moves Me Like You Do
11. Death Don’t Have No Mercy

Life Is Hard is scheduled to be released on February 23, 2024 on Gulf Coast Records.