Anthony Rosano and the Conqueroos : "Cheat The Devil"

The colourful cover of this CD has an old-timey Amer­ican travelling carnival feel. The boss, Rosano, tweaks his ringmaster’s moustache and you're invited into that dark marquee where devilish blues rock is being played. He was inspired in his teenage years by “the British bands that took their cues from the blues”. 

Anthony and his band have already topped Billboard’s and Runes blues charts. This powerful trio compris­es Rosano on vocals and guitar, Kyle McCormick on drums and bassist Jake Fultz. Track three, What Kind of Fool, a slow blues, is a remarkable demonstra­tion of how much power a line up like this has. Rosano’s guitar playing is solid, meaty, growling with a powerful command of chords and stinging solos. 

The drums on the track Sin City drive like a locomo­tive, and the ringmaster shows us he has a more romantic side with the superb lyrics and cascading guitar on Rosalita. The production throughout, by Tab Benoit, manages to weld these three musi­cians together like a steel fist. If you’re wondering how good the blues still is across the pond, then this album is the answer. Media reports Anthony Rosano as 'modest and motivated... he’s clearly paid his dues.’ This is blues rock with mus­cles. Let’s hope soon this dark carnival pitches up here for a few dates.