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Glenn Kaiser has been making powerful music for a long time. From his days as the frontman of The Resurrection Band to his solo blues oriented recordings to his power rock trio the Glenn Kaiser Band, two things have always been constant, well played infectious music and a firm foundation on the gospel message. This album, Blacktop, the third from The Glenn Kaiser Band is no exception. In fact, both the music and the message are as strong here as they have ever been.

Fans of both the Rez Band and Kaiser's solo blues work should find something to like about this album. All twelve tracks are tight, rocking cuts infused with Kaiser's own blues style delivery. This brings up the only real complaint I have with this album ­ there isn't a ten minute jam session cut where Kaiser, drummer Ed Bialach and bassist Roy Montroy all let loose. However, across the twelve songs here all three do have plenty of moments to shine, so maybe a prolonged jam might have been overkill. As it is, this album can stand toe-to-toe with just about any release from Lynyrd Skynyrd or Grand Funk Railroad.

Roy Montroy in particular makes his presence felt on this album, writing or co-writing nine of the twelve tracks and anchoring the music with his impressive skill on the bass guitar. But two other names need to be mentioned, lending their weight to make this project the beast that it is. Rick Derringer, former member of The McCoys, whose "Hang On Sloopy" knocked the Beatles "Yesterday" out of the No. 1 spot back in 1965, and famous for his single "Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo" lends his guitar to the first single off this album, "Save Me from Myself." Derringer has also played with other artists ranging from Alice Cooper to Richie Havens to Todd Rundgren to Cyndi Lauper and actually produced some of Weird Al Yankovic's most successful recordings. The other notable guest appearance comes from guitar virtuoso Dave Beegle of the band Fourth Estate.

Blacktop opens with the title track and the lines of a despairing soul:

Got my keys, went out the door
Could not take it, anymore
All the fussin', cryin' and moan
Leavin' misery, this ain't no home

Facin' the music
Layin' it down
All in the book
It's bein' written down
writin' the story
Love is My design
The Truest love
You're ever gonna find

Darryl A. Armstrong 07/27/03

For close to thirty years, musician/pastor/Cornerstone Festival guru Glenn Kaiser has been making blistering rock and blues music, with the occasional pause for a contemplative worship album here and there. For the past decade or so, Kaiser has ventured away from fronting the pioneering Resurrection Band for the sake of solo discs and projects with his Glenn Kaiser Band. Blacktop, the latest from the Glenn Kaiser Band proves that the man still has his chops.

Truthfully, there is nothing groundbreaking here. Kaiser's gritty guitar and husky vocals have always appealed to the common man, and the themes of hard times and redemption here continue to aim for the same audience. A thick buzz guitar pervades throughout on songs such as the title track, where Kaiser sings about marital pain, and the hot and frustrated "Save Me From Myself." The autobiographical songs "Voice in the Wind" and "Use to Be" are slower jams, and the closer, "Facin' the Music," is a swampy blues number.

Lyrically, Kaiser is at times guilty of borrowing too many cliches (one song actually contains the words "takes away my blues"), but blues musicians have been borrowing cliches from each other for ages. If you're looking for a good, smokey blues album to take with you on the open road, Blacktop is a fine choice.

Dave Kerschbaum 9/24/2003