Coco Montoya’s ‘Songs From The Road’ stands or falls by his record company’s claim that it transports you to the front of the crowd at his two appearances at The Triple Door in Seattle. Happily this double live album does precisely that, as Coco has the engaging personality, ringing guitar tone and road drilled band to bring to life the narratives and melodies of his songs, and for the rest he lets his guitar do the talking. The songs form a crucial a backbone to a set in which the solos and instrumentation supports rather than dominates the material. The former Albert Collins and John Mayall’s Bluesbreaker undoubtedly has blues running through his veins, but he’s also a writer who is perpetually in search of a melody to suit his tone. And the fact that he’s also branched out to collaborate with the likes of Little Feat’s Paul Barrere, bluesman Doug McLeod and The Hawks’ David Sleen, suggests he’s restless in his desire to nail the perfect blues song. ‘Songs From The Road’ is a fine recording on which producer Jim Gaines probably didn’t have to work too hard on the sequencing as the balance of the album mirrors Coco’s live set. Coco opens with a homage to his former employer on Albert Collins, on ‘I Got A Mind To Travel’ – as with many of AC’s songs, it was actually written by his wife Gwendolyn – but the tone is unmistakably Coco’s take on Albert. ‘Hey Senorita’ employs a similar strident tone, but is framed by a Latino feel, while the soulful ballad ‘Too Much Water’ is the