Chasing The Sun

To the naked eye, it would seem that the once family band Indigenous has turned into "The Mato Nanji Experience"...this is both true and false, let me explain.

In a nutshell, this is not the same band that delivered the outstanding "Things We Do" and "Circle" offerings, but it's also not the same Indigenous that brought us 2003's major label mis-step "Indigenous". Mato Nanji (vocals/guitar) and brother PTE (bass) are the only original members that remain, cousin Horse (percussion) and sister Wanbdi (drums) have left the fold.

Basically the split was brought on from all the members wanting to try new musical styles. The break up made everyone happy and there was no bad blood between siblings (sister Wanbdi even co-wrote "The Way You Shake").

Anyway, on to the music. The biggest problem most people had with 2003's "Indigenous" was the horrendously muddy production the Davey Brothers slabbed over the disc's somewhat mediocre songs (note: the album wasn't without its high points). "Chasing the Sun" has crystal clear production from Steve Fishell with just enough rawness to keep the tracks sounding organic.

"Come on Home" and "Fool Me Again" are very nice slow paced ballads. Mato mentioned he focused more on his singing in the past year than his guitar playing and these two tracks show the payoff. We are also treated to the 6 minute instrumental "Out of Nowhere" which Mato uses as a showcase for his SRV/Reed style rhythm chops glazed with a subtle tremolo effect.

The disc's overall feel is mid to up tempo tunes with the 2 above mentioned tracks being the only slower paced 'ballads'...with the exception of the album's closer, a nice version of Bob Dylan's "Born in Time". The main strength of this release is that the songs all benefit greatly from very strong vocal hooks and tastful accompanyment from Mato.

It seems that the main agenda Indigenous had upon releasing this disc was to add a more streamlined melodic sheen (I don't want to use the term radio-friendly) to their core roadhouse blues foundation. Surprisignly the formula works very well. Long time fans should get their fix with funky/bluesy numbers like "I'll Be Waiting" and "The Way You Shake". New comers who've heard 'word-of-mouth' about Nanji's guitar prowess will likely enjoy the instrumental "Out of Nowhere" and the fiery leadwork of "Leaving". And just about every song has some sort of undeniable hook in the chorus that merits repeated listens.

While some people will look at "Chasing the Sun" as Mato Nanji's attempt to cash in on the Indigenous name and offer a radio friendly sell out cash grab...nothing could be farther from the truth.

I would have to disagree with the overview of the cd. I don't look at Indigenous (Mato) as a SRV copy. I discovered this guy at a small blues event at a park in Indianapolis a few years ago... Never heard of them before. I was there to see another very talented ( yet somewhat unknown Joe Bonamassa ) up and coming artist. I was BLOWN away by how good they were. I went out and bought the self-titled cd and Circle.. I've been on board every since. Now I have all their stuff and love it. I think people will really like this cd if they give it a listen. There are a couple of songs that should be instant hits .. Come On Home for instance.. I'd give it high marks. I wish they would come back out this way on tour. Saw them at a small club called the Vogue and they blew the roof off the place. It is a little disappointing that Mato's sisters isn't banging the drums with the group anymore. She was HOT.. Buy it people..you won't be disappointed that you did.

I buy Indigenous music for the guitar playing and am very pleased with "Chasing The Sun". Nice guitar and vocals good sound and OK songs. I love to hear the Lonnie Mack sound be expanded by Mato Nanji to a new horizon. I loved the old sound and I love the new sound of the band.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 21 reviews  3.9 out of 5 stars