Mike Zito
„Outside Or The Eastside“
CD, Album. Blues, Bluesrock. 2026.

No Prog, but Blues. An earthy music that I really like. And without the Blues, there would be no Progressive Rock.

Mike Zito delivers a new studio album, "Outside Or The Eastside," in 2026. It's about his roots in St. Louis, but also a socially critical view of a slowly crumbling society. The approach is promising, especially considering Mike Zito's career path hasn't exactly been easy. In the end, only the blues remain.

I won't go into Mike Zito's biography now. It hasn't always been easy, and that's reflected in his songs. He's an outstanding guitarist and a real showman on stage. And that's precisely where my problem lies. Blues is live music, and I really enjoy many of Mike's songs live. Precisely because they sound slightly different with each performance. That's generally not the case with studio albums, a disadvantage not unique to Mike Zito's blues. Blues comes across better on live albums.

The CD of "Outside Or The Eastside" certainly looks cool, but to my ears it has two fundamental problems. The sound quality is irritating. This is partly due to the quality, but also to the similar-sounding solos. The streamed (lossless) version has the sound I'm looking for. The songs themselves, while similarly structured, aren't bad at all. Mike Zito is and remains, in my opinion, an outstanding live musician whose studio albums simply can't match his live performances.

In conclusion, the CD's sound quality falls short of its potential. The songs are generally good; I appreciate their social commentary. I hate to admit it, but the digital lossless version sounds far superior. The CD's design is well done.

What do I really think:

The CD sounds irritating to me, which is a shame because the songs are actually good. Mike has the blues, and streaming it sounds like the CD should. Top-notch live, studio albums rather solid. 

All photos are from a CD provided to me by V2/Bertus. The rights to all images, logos, texts, and fonts shown in the photos naturally belong to their respective copyright holders.

No AI was used in the making of this Review.
©21.05.2026