Even with such a difficult year for the music industry, artists such as Tommy Bentz clearly haven’t been held down by the pandemic. In his newest album, ‘1000 Reasons’ (May 2021), Tommy brings together a group of extremely talented musicians and spans across genres to bring us this bluesy, jazzy, heavy-hitting record of 2021.

The group has clearly spent a lot of time playing together, and it shows. Tight instrumentals, complex time-signature changes, and well executed solos. One of the more impressive examples of this is in the second track on the album, ‘Humble’. The band throws the spotlight back and forth between them, taking turns ripping out some impressive lead melodies. Dirty blues guitar, to a groovy bass line, into the best drum solo of the album…triplets, rolls, and all that jazz.

Another stand-out track is the last song on the album. The twang comes in strong off the bat, right into a head-bobbing groove. Each break between phrases showcases a different instrument’s riff. The track is totally instrumental and all about the band. Tommy’s lead guitar takes the place of lead vocals, carrying the melody.

Tommy really shines in his lead guitar playing. With whammy bar action, and dirty slides, He clearly draws influence from the 60’s-70’s rock era of Hendrix, Van Morrison, and Clapton. He incorporates a subtle twang in both his vocals and guitar, creating head-bobbing jams with just the right amount of funk.

It’s obvious that the Tommy Bentz Band puts on a killer live show, and the Twin Cities will be eagerly awaiting the time when we can see ‘1000 Reasons’ live. In the meantime keep an eye out for upcoming gigs, and get down and dirty in your living room to this new, killer record.

Joslyn Danielson