Review: The Charlie Souza Band’s ‘Compilation Album’

We all know the names Tom Petty, Greg Allman, The New Rascals, Bill Pascali of the Vanilla Fudge, Bill Champlin of Chicago, Eric Turner, The Tropics, Mudcrutch, and many others. I am just mentioning the names of these great musicians to help you understand Charlie Souza’s association with these talented artists. He has toured and recorded with these well-known musicians as well as his own band the Charlie Souza Band, which just released a compilation album aptly titled The Charlie Souza Band Compilation Album.

It took me a while to listen to this album, as this masterpiece has 16 tracks. I was impressed with everything– from the songwriting to the vocals and, of course, the musicianship and the top-notch production. The album begins with the semi-funky “Mistic Mistress,” which sets the tone for this exceptional group of songs. “Goin’ for Broke” has a 70s Steve Miller feel, with some solid bass work by Mr. Souza. “Lightnin’ Bolt” is a fast-moving song with outstanding work from everyone involved in this hard-rocking tune.

Other cuts that I enjoyed were “24 Hours a Day”, the melodic “Live Your Dream,” and the edgy “Don’t Cry Wolf,” with its well-placed and tasteful saxophone and grungy bass, making it a hard-driving song. The rest are excellent in their own right.  The songs “I’m Flyin’, “Bring It Back,” “Find Our Way Home,” and “Dreamtime” have a slower tempo, while “Dark Night”, “Queen Of My Dreams,” “Flying Away,” “Hold On,” and “State of My Heart” have more of an upbeat style. Charlie then throws us a curveball to show his versatility with “New York City Dreams,” which alternates between rap, soul, and rock. It’s different, for sure, but original and refreshing.

I enjoyed this compilation immensely, and the talents of Charlie Souza stand out with the best of the best. I have to mention the incredible musicians who helped record this fine album, as the success of this album would not be the same without them.

This collection of songs, two albums worth of material, is as good as it gets and will be a great addition to your rock music collection.

Charlie Souza – Vocals, Bass, Acoustic & Electric Guitar, Piano

Eric Turner – Guitar, Vocals, Production

Bill Lordan – Drums, Percussion

Machito Sanchez – Percussion

Adrian Tapia – Alto, Tenor Sax

Mike Karrs – Hammond B-3

Steve McCrumb – Synthesizer

Michael Roads – Synthesizer

Alisha Pullen, Mad Jones – Heavenly Voices

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