John Nitzinger has long been known in the annals of Texas music for his contributions to rock and roll. In 1978 he was one of the first four musicians inducted into Buddy Magazine's "Texas Tornadoes Hall of Fame," for his work as both a guitarist and songwriter. His credits are far reaching indeed, writing for the 70's rock band Bloodrock, then, in 1971 forming the powerhouse band Nitzinger, which would eventually take the international rock scene by storm with such songs as "Louisiana Cockfight," "Jellyroll Blues," and the 1976 classic cut, "Are You With Me." The 1980's saw Nitzinger join forces with the father of shock rock, Alice Cooper, touring as his guitarist and penning several tracks on the "Zipper Catches Skin" album. Then John Nitzinger returned home to Ft. Worth following these many years on the road to combat his own personal demons, namely alcohol and drug addiction.

The new millennium hearkens a return of John Nitzinger, not only with his return to touring, but with a new CD release on Sweden's "Record Heaven" label, aptly titled "Going Back to Texas." For those of you who wonder what happened to good old rock and roll, look no further than this release. To use an over used descriptive phrase, this CD rocks! It is 18 tracks of pure, high-energy blues and rock by one of the masters of the form. 13 tracks are new studio numbers that prove that Nitzinger is back, and the other 5 are re-recorded classic Nitzinger tracks, proving that he never went away.

The first number on this CD also happens to be one of my favorites, "Didja Miss Me." The perfect opener for a man returning from a long hiatus from the music scene. This is a rollicking upbeat blues number that takes the listener by storm with some great guitar riffs. If there are any questions if Nitzinger still has it, they are dispelled with this very first song.

Shift gears to a true rock ballad. "Where She Goes, I Go" is a slow soulful ballad, punctuated by some typical Nitzinger guitar licks, that tells the story of ultimate love, and also demonstrates the artist's depth as a songwriter.

"Rude and Crude" is a number not unlike "Didja Miss Me," up-tempo and a fun little ditty. No socially redeeming messages or pretense here, just pure d house rocking.

There are two tracks on this CD where Nitzinger flexes his songwriter muscles to play social commentator, however. The first track is "Even My Tears Are Cold," a polished studio number that attacks the issues of poverty, drugs, and inner city gang activity in a lyrically telling manner.

There's some dirty snow in south Chicago,
Where the wicked wind blows right through your bones.
And there ain't no way out so all they know is crack, smack and methadone.

God I feel so helpless, how much can one man stand?!
Every day I pray and pray, I even wash my hands in the blood of the Lamb.
But today, even my tears are cold.

This song features some of the best guitar work on this whole album as well.

The other track where Nitzinger returns with more commentary is an editorial piece about today's music scene. The title sums up the message perfectly, "Rap is Crap." He won't get any argument from me on this one!

Tracks 5 and 6 are an interesting experiment performed by this veteran rocker. "Cats and Dogs Blues" and "Cats and Dogs" are lyrically the same songs, though they are both performed in radically different styles. The first is, as it says, a blues number. The second, pure rock and roll. Out of the two versions, the blues version is certainly this reviewers favorite one, because I personally feel that both in his live as well as his recorded blues performances, Nitzinger shines through with this little something extra when he plays. As though he is feeling it somewhere deep within his soul and it is coming through in the performance.

The next three offerings on this CD are pretty typical Nitzinger fare, albeit fine examples. They could have been written and recorded at any point of his career. This is that style of guitar driven rock that Nitzinger typified on album and radio during the 1970's. Out of these three, "Shifting Sand" is a great performance number, and you should really be at a Nitzinger show when he performs it live.

The title track is next. Listen to the guitar on this piece. Heavy, powerful, driven. He uses the instrument to counterbalance the vocals on this track in a musical dialogue with himself. One of the true gems on this CD. And who, from this great state of ours, hasn't at one point shared this sentiment:

It's never too late to set things straight,
I wanna live in the light, not in the dark.

I'm going back to Texas.
Take my woman, kids and friends.
Gonna live my life the way it should be, and die with piece of mind in the end.

"Fingers in the Fan" is the next original offering, and leads perfectly into the five re-recorded tracks that are featured on this album. If I were picking tracks from Nitzinger's past to include on this CD, I don't know if I could have come up with a better five. They are "Louisiana Cockfight," "Jellyroll Blues," "Yellow Dog," "L.A. Texas Boy," and "Control." I really believe that listeners who remember the day when the songs were first released on vinyl will enjoy these new, cleaner, digitally mastered versions. They remain true to the essence of the earlier releases, but have crisper audio and some longer, more mature guitar parts on them.

Only a man who has been through what John Nitzinger has been through in his life and career could have written the last contribution to this album. "Change" is the celebration of someone who has seen the need for ongoing transformation. Consider the last verse:

Nothing changes if nothing changes,
I need to feel at home in my own skin.
Gonna make it so, yeah I'm letting go;
I surrender, let the healing begin.
I came to. I came to believe.
Now I've got new eyes and I like what I see.

These seem to be the echoes of the thirty-year odyssey that represents this Texas music legend's career.

If you have longed for those days of high-energy blues and rock and roll that epitomized the 1970's, or if you just want to experience something new and fresh from the rock and roll front, then this CD is well worth the purchase price. Eighteen tracks from one of the best in this profession, the running time is over an hour in length. And for some, that seems too short.

With the release of "Going Back to Texas," one thing is crystal clear. John Nitzinger is back! In full force and with the style and maturity of a true Texas guitar legend that has come to terms with his music and talent.

You can learn more about John Nitzinger at his website at www.nitzinger.com.

You can contact Scott Snidow at: scott-at-rockzilla.net

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