Joe Schike was born in Memphis, TN. It’s not much of a surprise that he got involved with music considering how music heavy Memphis is. Schike has played in a number of groups and has shared the stage with notable musicians. He currently leads his band West Side Joe & The Men of Soul with Steve Amedee and Taylor Tesler. They recently released their debut entitled Keep on Climbin’.
The music contains twelve songs and a number of different genres. I found the music to be very soulful no matter if they are playing a more subdued song like “Found You” or making you dance with the title track “Keep on Climbin’.” The music feels live and like something you would want to see on a Saturday night if you’re looking for a good time. This is the sound of talented musicians playing together in a room. This is great music you think would be on top of the Billboard charts but nowadays there’s a lot of computer based music that just doesn’t do it for me like this does. There’s a lot to appreciate on this album no matter how you’re feeling but there were some standouts. In addition to the songs I already mentioned I loved the blues on the late night groove “Come Thru” and the late ’60s type revival on “Man Down” which has a crazy good hook. The positive and warm “Give Love For Free” hits all the right notes especially the ones coming out of the horns. There’a a bit of vibe here that reminded me of The Velvet Underground but again very soulful with some blues influence. I also really enjoyed “When You Get the Chance” and “I Can’t Lose.” My only critique was I did have a little hard time finding a signature sound. The band really plays into genres that if you are familiar with will sound instantly recognizable almost as if you have heard the song before. As beautifully delivered and written these songs are, I think finding an X-factor that defines their sound would be food or thought. Overall, I would say this is a great album which I think has a lot of mass appeal. I look forward to hearing where they go from here.
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May 2024
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