I began a blues/rock album project about seven years ago. My goal with this album was to put together a number of blues and blues/rock idioms together that would become a cohesive whole. “Life Number Nine” combines my love of blues with focused songwriting, tasteful guitar and passionate vocals. I think I have achieved that goal, but there are still a number of blues styles that I have not explored—thus, a second record is in the works.Most of this record is built around electric guitar in full band arrangements. All songs except Payday feature vocals. I must extend special thanks to saxophone virtuoso Steve Hutter (Louisiana Steve) for the amazing tracks he created for the record, including Life Number Nine and Ain’t Going Back Again.