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Eric Sardinas

"Treat Me Right"

Evidence 26102 2

When I finished listening to this cd the very first time, I felt like I had been assaulted by a baseball bat and then run over by a pick-up truck. Luckily I got the license plate number. It was a Texas plate belonging to a Mr. Eric Sardinas. You may love him, you may hate him but he WILL get your attention.

Eric wrote half of the fourteen tracks on Treat Me Right as well as co-producing the effort. His vocal and guitar style can best be described as a raucous, roadhouse sound, something akin to Jeff Healy meets Ted Nugent with a sprinkle of Johnny Winter, who fittingly contributes to the last cut.

The disc opens with the title track, complete with "Dust My Broom"-esque tempo and guitar riffs. On the third number, Murdering Blues, it becomes clear that this guy doesn't worry about political correctness as he gleefully screams " I'm gonna murder my baby!", but there's no denying the thunderbolts emanating from Sardinas' axe. A couple of tunes later he covers John Lee Hooker's My Baby's Got Something and while I started to o.d. on the straight songs of "my baby" lyrics, this was a rockin' dance jam.

Some of the electric blues selections can be difficult to distinguish,but Eric breaks the monotony with some nice slide and acoustic choices. Write A Few Lines offers up some fine country blues and cherry Bomb features accomplished unplugged pickin' before it launches into a musical onslaught. Similarly, Sweetwater Blues recalls John Hammond.

For the most part though, Sardinas doesn't introduce you to the blues, he hits you over the head with it; like a sledgehammer with strings. While his cat-scratched vocals fit his music, they can wear thin after several songs. But he dares anyone to try to stand still as they listen to his brand of high-energy party blues and I for one won't miss the man live when I get the chance. WARNING — Do not ingest caffeine while listening to this album.

Steve Magner