If you were a kid in the early 90’s you just might recognize this guy. Before Tony Lucca became the awesome indie singer/songwriter he is now, he was a Mouseketeer! That’s right, he was on the new Mickey Mouse Club alongside Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera … just to name a few. The show, which ended in ‘94, was pretty much like a pop star conveyor belt but Tony chose to stay off the conveyor belt and has since had a long and successful career as an indie artist. I have really fond memories of watching the Mickey Mouse Club (or the MMC) as a kid and remember seeing Tony (hello childhood crush ;)) do skits and sing; I had no idea he would later become the artist he is now.
Tony’s music has an indie/folk, acoustic guitar driven sound highlighted by his soulful vocals. He recently released a new cd called “Solo”; which is full of fan favorites and previously unreleased songs.
Album opener “New York City” is a soft, almost melancholy ode to the city. It sort of paints the picture of Tony feeling lost in the craziness and missing life in Cali. “True Story” lives up to its name as an honest yet somehow quirky look into Tony’s life. As a long time fan I loved getting a little summery of his autobiography and all in the form of a 3 minute folk song! It chronicles his childhood on Tv to his life now as a musician. Even mentioning his break up with his former high school sweet heart, actress, Keri Russell (the two met while on the MMC & dated for a long time after),“I pedaled across the country, wound up here in Hollywood. I left my high school sweetheart when I realized I could. And she became a movie star, I took to sleeping in my car. Still singing songs about her to this day”. The short and up-tempo “Fight Song” feels like a cowboy kinda tune. The song, which is originally by Joe Firstman, is so fun and entertaining, and it gives Tony the chance to really belt out the feisty lyrics,“I threw 100 punches, got this big black eye. I got banned from Indiana, felt like I was gonna die. So I screamed "rah rah rah rah rah", You should have seen the other guy”.
While I truly am a fan of the whole album the highlight for me is the song “Death of Me”; am a little crazy for this tune and think you should be too ;) . I instantly fell in love with the soulful/bluesy sound of Tony’s voice and the almost sultry guitar. This song just makes me feel really happy but the lyrics are actually a little sad, “You told me you'd always be there, guess I must have heard you wrong. Cause if I'd held my breath you'd be the death of me”. To me, this song is the gem on “Solo”. The album closes with the piano based, mid-tempo song, “Pretty Things”. This tune, about a breakup, has Mr. Lucca taking a break from the guitar and switching to the piano. Just his voice and the piano are a really killer combo. This song shows off some of his vocal range; which sounds so good on this one. It makes for the perfect ending to this album.
Just to let you guys know, there are profanities on a couple songs; one in “Fight Song” and one in “The Hustler, The Window, And The Boy From Detroit”. Also, there are two ways you can experience “Solo”, you can purchase the 15 song cd on Tony's online store, or you can download a 12 song version of it for free on Amazon.com. As an Amazon mp3 exclusive, it’s a really great way to sample his soulful folk styling's. As of now Tony’s set to release a side project called, TFDI, with his friends and fellow musicians, Matt Duke and Jay Nash. The album entitled “When I Stop Running” releases on the 19th of this month, so be sure to check it out!
The ride Tony Lucca has had in music is such a testament to his dedication to artistry. He has released seven albums and five EPs, and has toured with artists such as Sara Bareilles and Tyrone Wells . I've followed Tony's music since '99 and from what it looks like, his mad guitar skills and beautiful voice will be filling people's head phones for years to come.
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