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Mike McCarroll: At The Crossroads

By Keith Hannaleck

Artist: MikeMcCarroll
Title: At The Crossroads
Genre: Rock-Blues-Country
Label: Independent
Website: www.mikemccarroll.com
iTunes Link
Purchase this CD: CD Baby

Mike McCarroll is a sure fire bet to become a working class hero if his music catches on. McCarroll started his own business once the kids grew up and he was satisfied enough to give it his best shot, knowing there was nothing to distract or stop him. After paying some dues and building a successful business venture (“Business Traveler Blues”) was in place, it was time to grab his guitar, head into the studio, and make the album he always wanted to (“At The Crossroads”).

He was literally At The Crossroads of his life when this album got started. There could not have been a better title to have for his lifetime of waiting and his first album of studio material.

At The Crossroads is 12 tracks of fired up blues, rock and country. It is about real life, what can happen along the way and most importantly the right and wrong decisions in our travels that shaped our lives into what it is today (“Must’ve Been Crazy”). This is what McCarroll sings about with passion, grace, and heartfelt words. Along the way, he plays some blistering guitar lines, pumping out blues, rock and country licks to give the album an overall atmosphere that speaks of life, love and the pursuit of happiness.

I think the reason this album appealed to me so much is that Mike is a man after my own heart; he followed his dreams and worked his ass off with an eventual return on his investment. Nothing was handed to him and the bottom line is he is a very successful man in any endeavor he decides to undertake. I could totally relate to that outlook on life. Besides finding a commonality with the artist, I simply loved his music. The use of three genres that are so closely weaved together makes every story that much more interesting and tasty. Let’s face it; all three genres are kissin’ cousins, especially country and the blues. McCarroll does a nice job of separating church from state, cuts loose with tons of emotion and sweat and gives each idiom it’s just due.

This music encapsulates a lifetime of emotions, love, disappoint, wonder and doubt into 12 tracks of party time rug cuttin’ joy. The entire package is right here folks, its indie, its real, and it rocks.

Reviewed - January 22, 2008

Tracks:

01. Business Traveler Blues
02. Train a-Movin' On
03. Must've Been Crazy
04. Get It On
05. Saturday Night
06. At The Crossroads
07. House Of Blues
08. I'm Down
09. Road Rage
10. She's The One
11. Second Hand Smoke

About the Author:

Keith Hannaleck, known as “MuzikMan” is a Journalist specializing in independent and major music reviews and the promotion of artists via the various media outlets flourishing online. He has worked closely with artists, management, publicity directors, and webmasters to provide some of the best and far-reaching coverage an artist could have. Focusing primarily on the internet as a medium for his work, Keith has been a pioneer in the industry changing the way a reviewer with his various talents are used by many artists, PR folks, and labels. He has provided strong and valuable work to labels, artists, and publicity people, writing reviews, press releases, and biographies and much more over the years, giving the people he works with the maximum amount of exposure through several top-notch websites that post his content on their sites.

Hannaleck built and maintained his own website in 1998 while networking and building his reputation through thousands of reviews and interviews, creating a special niche for himself. Through many years of dedication and hard work, he has reached a respected level of competence and knowledge that is frequently sought by the music industry today. Known for his speaking from the heart interpretations of music and being able to put it in layman’s terms for music fans, his work is found everywhere in cyberspace and in traditional print media, from press kits to quotes from reviews in magazine advertisements.