This album was cut live on a hot summer day in South Philly. It's what the Stone Cold Blues sounds like when their main man - Mikey Jr. - is out back taking a well deserved break. You see, although Mikey Jr. does play harmonica on one track, the members of his band - Matt Daniels on guitar, Adam Stranburg on drums and Jimmy Pritchard on bass - basically recorded this disc without him. Eight of the twelve tracks were penned by Matt, and as the title -"Yo Matt! Do An Instrumental!" - may suggest, most of them are instrumentals.

The disc opens with "Yo Matt!" And although it's only a bit over two and a half minutes in length, I'm promising you that should you try to keep up with it, you'll end before it does. It's absolute three piece mayhem.

"Thaw Out" may be an Albert Collins cover, but Matt sees no need to imitate the guitar master....after all, he's quite a master of the instrument himself. Using his own style he dazzles on this one. So does the rhythm section, and Adam could very well be at disc's best on the drums right here.

"Textin Blues" is the only track on which there are vocals and I'm assuming they're sung by Matt. It's a solo acoustic effort and on it, Matt's as impressive playing slide acoustic guitar as he is tearing up an electric one.

"Cheeze Wit Out" is the track that features Mikey Jr. on harp. Unexpectedly, but not disappointedly, the track is quite a mellow sounding number at that The guitar playing is precise yet relaxed, the rhythm's steady yet unrushed and the two solos - a short little jazzy spurt on the drums by Adam and a robust yet not overpowering blast on the harp from Mikey Jr. all make this a winner.

Had I named this track - "Lonesome Traveler", it would have been called "Lonesome Traveler Blues" because a track like this deserves the word blues in it. This is as low down and dirty as it gets and as far as I'm concerned, the lower down and the dirtier, the better. Matt's guitar leads are incredible. Turn this one all the way up.

Remember the old thirty-three and a third, forty-five and seventy-eight RPM records? Well I do, and the best way to describe "Down Neck Swamp" is to say it's a 45 RPM recording of some good ol', down home, back porch, foot tappin' music being played on 78. Whoa! The guys peaked on this one.

Other tracks on "Yo Matt! Do An Instrumental!" include: "Donzo Sonzo", "Juke Joint Groove", "Big Boy", "Blowin' Up At My Brothers", "Ice Pick" and "Toadstole Blues". My feelings about all instrumental discs are that for me to stay with it, not just some - but all of the tracks must be killer. These were!

BTW, several musicians on this disc - Matt Daniels, Adam Stranburg, Jimmy Pritchard, and Mikey Jr, collectively belong in the same band - Mikey Jr and the Stone Cold Blues Band. This individual project of Matt's featured them all.

You can reach Matt Daniels via Mikey Jr at www.mikeyjunior.com. If you do, please make sure you tell him the Blewzzman sent ya.