It is extremely rare when a re-
cord grabs me in the first 10
seconds and doesn’t let go, but
that is the case with Joe Petillo‘s
“Long Journey Home.” The veter-
an Asbury Park singer-songwrit-
er-guitarist’s long-awaited record
has completely and refreshingly
taken me by surprise, and so I
just had to review it.
Meticulously, yet warmly pro-
duced by Petillo, “Long Journey
Home” is the R&B, rock ‘n’ soul
and roots music developed in
the late ’60s at the mythic Up-
stage nightclub, honed into the
Sounds of Asbury Park, and rip-
ened here with age and a blend
of jazz-inflected sophistication,
exotic ethnic groove and occa-
sional sweet pedal steel guitar.
Some might call Petillo easy lis-
tening, but to others, he will re-
call mellow, lyrically strong sing-
er-songwriters, such as James
Taylor, Loggins & Messina, Cat
Stevens and Dan Fogelberg. In
NJ STAGE - ISSUE 44
an age when Asbury Park is pow-
ered more by indie rock, DJs,
hip-hop and punk rock, Petillo
might seem a relic, but if you
listen closely, you’ll hear that he
is an extremely talented and ex-
pressive songwriter who can sing
his ass off and who has produced
a very lovely record culled from
more than 40 years of original
material.
There are a whole bunch of
friends who agree and appear on
“Long Journey Home.” Holiday
Express band mate BethAnne
Clayton turns “Hiding Out from
Love,” a folk-rock tale of star-
crossed lovers, into a soulful duet
that also features pianist Andy
McDonough, bassist Chris Plun-
kett and drummer Bob Boyd,
who play throughout “Long Jour-
ney Home.” A country-rocker
known for the Queen of Hearts
band, Clayton also sings back up
on “Somebody Tell Me,” a coun-
try pine for a long-distance love
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