Mike Zito Outside Or The Eastside
Fresh off a shiny 2025 Blues Music Award for Blues Rock Album of the Year (for Life Is Hard), Mike Zito does the rock-blues equivalent of a victory lap with Outside Or The Eastside, his fourth solo record. He’s in full control here—frontman, guitarist, and producer.
The cast is tight and familiar: Scot Sutherland on bass, Lewis Stephens on keys, and Matthew R. Johnson on drums—three players who know exactly how to prop up a big, glossy blues-rock lead without getting in the way.
Entry points include the title track, which kicks the door open with an upbeat shuffle that’s basically a nod and a wink to Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham. Zito’s guitar leads the way while Stephens’ piano throws in bright punctuation marks, and the chorus lands with the kind of allure that feels wonderfully contagious.
Then comes Lonnie Brooks’ “Don’t Take Advantage Of Me,” where Zito presses into solos smeared with grimy textures instead of gleaming colors Johnson keeps it moving underneath, pushing the groove forward with luscious drum fills that do the job without asking for the spotlight.
“Kiss You All Over” aims for funk and comes dressed for the occasion—pulsing rhythm, a coy melody, and Zito laying on the come-hither phrasing like he’s trying to seduce the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. It’s slick, a little overlit, and exactly as shameless as the title suggests.
“Downtown at Midnight” is where the album’s storytelling starts to cast a shadow. The opening riffs portray neon and bad decisions, and Zito injects the harmonics with brutal honesty. It’s a track that feels less like a performance and more like walking through the Red Light District.
If you showed up for the capital-B Blues Guitar Moments, they’re right on schedule in his cover of Buddy Guy’s “Too Broke To Spend The Night,” a tune Zito treats like an authorized space for spectacular, blazing fireworks.
“Just Like I Treat You,” the Willie Dixon standard, arrives with a notable adjustment: Zito boosts the tempo and turns Howlin’ Wolf’s menace into something closer to a bar-band strut. It’s a song that’s been covered by almost everyone, and Stephens’ piano and Zito’s bright-toned leads give it enough sizzle to justify the revisit.
A personal favorite is “Do I Move You,” a Nina Simone cut from 1967—an inspired choice that also highlights how carefully this album stays inside its lane. Stephens’ organ does the talking, and then Zito highlights it with his guitar: respectful, competent, and just a little too spick-and-span to feel dangerous.
Another Dixon number follows with “Close To You.” Zito modernizes it in the opening bars with a muscular guitar-heavy approach and ups the momentum. Stephens’ piano provides the foundation while Zito takes the spotlight with spellbinding licks.
On Outside Or The Eastside, Mike Zito adds sprawling arrangements to his delicious, maximal blues-rock sound.
Discover more about Mike Zito here.
Enjoy some of our previous coverage here: REVIEW: Mike Zito “Life Is Hard”