ROCKZILLA WORLD MAGAZINE
Frequent readers of Rockzillaworld are familiar with what our mission statement says, but for those occasional readers, let me point you to that line right below our banner. You see it there? Those seven little words sum up our existence; "shining a light upon music that matters."
Well friends and neighbors, to shine a light on this particular record, I'm gonna have to roll out that giant 10 gazillon megawatt search light we keep out back for times just like these. Because this album is big. Not big like modern city skyscrapers kind of big, but big like the Himalayas, timeless and classic. You know...BIG.
In American Gypsy, New Orleans native turned Key West denizen Mike De La Cerda has incorporated the sounds and riffs and gadgetry of hundreds of blues-rockers before him. His education at the hands of past masters shows in every track of this album. It is filled with fat, juicy guitar riffs backed with full, round bass and monster percussion. Hints of Hendrix here, traces of Alvin Lee there, and even certain elements of blue eyed soul-rockers such as Rare Earth. But don't think that this is some living-in-the-past-wish-I-had-been-there kind of album, for it is far from it. This is a very modern, state of the art, intensely personal record.
It is also an ambitious record. Not only does De La Cerda wear the hats of musician, singer and songwriter, but he produced this project as well. All too often I have found that self produced records tend to be one dimensional, since the artist seems more focused on some personal vision of what they want for the album, rather than concerning themselves with what their listening public may be wanting to hear. This is not true with American Gypsy. De La Cerda has maintained his personal vision, whatever that may have been, while delivering a multi-dimensional, listener friendly, kick ass rock and roll album.
American Gypsy does pay tribute to some of De La Cerda's musical forbears. He does covers of Bob Dylan and Johnny Winter songs. One notable cover is the treatment that he gives to Jimi Hendrix's "Are You Experienced," coaxing pseudo-psychedelic sounds while delivering a version unique to the original. So unique, in fact, that in my first listening to this CD I thought to myself that the lyrics sounded familiar, though the score didn't quite register with me. That was until De La Cerda reached that famous musical refrain, "...are you experienced? Have you ever been experienced? Well I have." This is a tribute worthy of note, with musical licks borrowed from the master while the pupil inserts his own touches to prove that he has learned all too well. In "Tribute to George Harrison," De La Cerda proves just how well he understands the physics of his guitar and the gadgetry he uses by actually making the guitar sound like a sitar.
This album, however, is not about paying homage to the artists that have gone before. It is about building on the foundation that they laid a musical effort so ambitious and large that it seems to encompass the breadth and scope of modern music. On some of his original tracks, De La Cerda infuses elements of soul, blues, jazz, and plain old honest rock and roll. There is some guitar gadgetry and some straightforward searing white-hot licks. There are trumpets and saxophones, pianos and meaty sounding Wurlitzer's, all blending with De La Cerda's soulful voice and lyrics to make this one hell of a rock and roll album.
On a scale from one to five, this album gets six stars.

	Sunshine Bridge Louisiana Folk Song		Rock
	Last Night On Earth		New Blues

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