If you like blues rock in the "I’m the next Stevie Ray Vaughan" mold, you might enjoy 88 Miles, the slick, independently produced CD by Matt O’Ree and the Blues Hounds. If you’re bored, however, with the three-piece blues rock formula that has been driven into the ground by thousands of bands in this country (including some who should really know better), you might want to reconsider these guys.
    O’Ree has accumulated a sizable fan base in his native New Jersey, and cuts from this CD, including the title cut, have climbed into the top 10 in local radio station charts. In his mid-20s, O’Ree has been dubbed a "guitar prodigy" and lauded by Buddy Miles, who called Matt "a bad motor scooter and a bear go getter with a band to back it up." O’Ree also scored a finalist slot in a recent Jimi Hendrix Guitar Competition.
    It’s not that Matt O’Ree can’t play the guitar, and play it well. It’s that everything he’s doing has been done before. As the CD raced frantically from cut to cut, there were times I got the feeling that Matt was only interested in playing as fast as possible. When he and his band settled down, however, they did some fine playing. "Something to Say," one of nine originals penned by O’Ree, is probably my favorite song on the CD. It’s sparked with soul and feeling and isn’t just a bunch of fast guitar over-indulgence. O’Ree really needs to let his guitar breathe. As Muddy Waters told me many years ago, "You white boys play too many notes."
    Another really nice cut is "Theresa," which brings to mind Jimi Hendrix and "Little Wing." The CD is dedicated to Theresa Brent and I assume this cut is for her. Very cool. Very tasteful.
    O’Ree obviously has considerable talent and I’d like to see him move forward and find his own voice. I look forward to hearing his next CD. I loved and still love Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray but when I want to hear them I go to the original.  By Sonny Boy Lee