Richie Kotzen is such an underrated musician. For a lot of people, he’ll be best known as having been the guitarist with Mr. Big and Poison, but a trawl through his extensive solo catalogue will uncover all kinds of musical treasures.
As a solo musician, Kotzen is restless, but often in a welcome way. He’s always been keen expose the listener to all different styles. His early ‘Electric Joy’ placed him at the forefront of virtuoso instrumentalists; on ‘Fever Dream’ he remodelled himself as a retro rocker in the vein of The Black Crowes; albums with Greg Howe experimented with jazz fusion and ‘What If…’ combined Richie’s melodic rock talents with a more soulful vibe.
…And then his 2003 album ‘Change’, recorded for Frontiers Records, manged to squeeze most of those styles onto one disc.
From then on, Kotzen has recorded extensively – both as a solo artist and a member of supergroup Winery Dogs – and his desire to play in different styles has allowed him to be prolific without ever sounding tired.
A release from 2015, ‘Richie Kotzen Live’, gave fans a great full length live show, but here’s something else… From two years earlier, this fan filmed footage is raw, but its close proximity to the stage and decent sound quality makes it an excellent, no-frills bootleg experience.