Anthony Rosano’s carnival barker persona on the cover of his new album “Cheat the Devil” perfectly captures what the album is about. With a twist of his handle-bar mustache he can charm and persuade while taking you down to the depths of the depravity and wickedness of his blues. The album is a thrill-a-minute ride through the power of his guitar and his voice that melds into it.

Rosano is a Hampton Roads bluesman and his new album is produced by Tab Benoit who convinced him to stick to a power trio approach that pits his slide guitar prowess against his rhythm section of Kyle McCormick on drums and Jake Fultz on bass. The simplicity of the instrumentation belies the huge sound that comes from these mostly original songs.  One of the covers sounds so different Rosano seems to have rewritten it for a modern audience.

There’s nothing subtle about the way he stomps and swaggers like the conquistador that his band’s name, The Conqueroos refers to. It’s a take no prisoners attitude that has served him well for over ten years as touring musician.

Rosano says “There were no overdubs and no edits, and it was mixed directly to tape. Ultimately, we captured the perfect vibe and ended up with a perfectly imperfect organic record.” “Cheat the Devil” by Anthony Rosano and the Conqueroos is an album that will tantilize you, scare you, and make you want to come back for more

• 
•