Steve Mignano’s Lucky 13 is full of confident blues swagger. There’s no doubt that Mignano has worked long and hard on developing his tone, and it pays off nicely throughout this record. Too often guitar players, especially in the blues-rock genre, try to thrill with pyrotechnics that do nothing in furtherance of the song. In this regard Mignano is a breath of fresh air. Of course, the obvious comparison will be to Stevie Ray Vaughn, and that’s a good place to start.

Things get heated up right away with the heavy—lyrically and musically—“Death Song.” It’s obvious that Mignano means business and plans a no-holds-barred attack on your sonic sensibilities. The title track rolls along empowered by a propulsive shuffle groove as Mignano continues the anything-but-happy lyrical theme. “Devil Get His Due” gets started in a classic ZZ Top fashion and further develops the dark themes espoused throughout Lucky 13. On “Before You Accuse Me” Mignano wisely chooses a slower tempo that separates his reading from the more widely known versions of the Bo Diddley classic made famous by Eric Clapton. Mignano really shines on “Hack Boogie,” an instrumental that would be a nice showcase for dueling Telecasters. The percussive funk of “Snarling Dog” is as aggressive as the title suggests, and allows Mignano to showcase some of the funk and groove that permeates so much music from New Orleans. All in all, Lucky 13 is a solid recording and a nice showcase for Steve Mignano’s guitar playing.