I, for one, am psyched that Lion Music is releasing some of Richie Kotzen’s solo work that was previously only available in Japan. Kotzen is a man of many masks, having done the requisite instrumental shredfest albums for Shrapnel Records early in his career, playing the hotshot guitarist role in the hair-metal band Poison for a time, and more recently helping Mr. Big close up shop. But his solo stuff has always been some of his better work, in my opinion. One of the first albums by Kotzen that really grabbed my attention was 1994's Mother Head’s Family Reunion, where he displayed a real sense of groove that I have heard few guitarists duplicate.

Slow is very reminiscent of MHFR in many ways. The songs have a definite groove to them – you can't help but wonder what a combo of Kotzen and George Clinton could bang out. The songs have a definite pop appeal as well. This is the kind of great stuff that we should be hearing on pop music stations instead of all the corporate boy bands and flavor of the month chick singers. Maybe that’s why Richie's solo stuff is so popular in Japan – they have seemed to have a better grasp of what good music is than we in the U.S. have for quite some time.

Some highlights of Slow are the fun rock and great lyrics of "Scared of You," the Motown-tinged "Gold Digger," the just-plain-cool groove of the title track, the slow and smoldering funk of the ballad "Don't Wanna Lie" (as good a panty-remover as anything Luther Vandross or Barry White ever wrote, in my humble opinion), the 70’s-like guitar distortion of "I Can Make You Happy," the disco back-beat and cool harmonies in "Come Back (Swear to God)," the catchy chorus of "Rely On Me," and the fun and humourous "Conflicted," in which Richie starts out by displaying his jazz/fusion chops and then switches gears mid-song and plays up his metal side. There are also a couple of short instrumental pieces to keep the shred fans happy.

To sum it up, this is an album that I have had a hard time taking out of my CD player. It really is that good. Fans of Kotzen's heavier stuff may not fully appreciate this disc, but if you liked the Mother Head's Family Reunion album, or are just a fan of well-crafted songs or of the 70's funk-rock sound, this is a definite must-own. Richie brings a big old chunk of the 70's to today's world with Slow, and it's a ride you don’t want to miss.

Reviewed by Kevin Ryan

Artist Website: www.richiekotzen.com
Label Website: www.lionmusic.com

Click here to order Richie Kotzen - Slow from

Click here to order Richie Kotzen - Slow from