Chris Sabatino – Maybe Not This Time EP

Chris Sabatino – Maybe Not This Time EP

CD BABY: https://www.cdbaby.com/cd/chrissabatino4

Singer/songwriter Chris Sabatino has a rich background in the entertainment industry. He interned with Sony Pictures and the series The People’s Court while cultivating and caring for his musical career. Sabatino is a hard-working man that wasn’t born yesterday and his journey is shown in full force on his new EP, Maybe Not This Time. This is his fourth release and he has shown considerable growth as he continues to carve out his place in the pantheon of rock n’ roll.

One thing shows right off the bat; Sabatino is a seasoned writer and player. With over a decade plus of music under his belt, the songs here feel well-crafted, chiseled, weathered and worn, like all good music with a rock/country foundation should. If you’re playing this kind of stuff, you need to forget all of the radio nonsense and just strip down and do it raw. Chris does exactly that on the acoustic/electric twitch of “Rockstar,” a piece that is equal parts Nashville acoustic and hard rockin’ heavy. The different is a perfect split with a definable course that feels natural as the tune moves from point A to point B. Sabatino has a great voice that’s gruff in the verses and gripping with the melody in the chorus, as the music around him matches the challenges his vocals lay out. He’s planted firmly somewhere between Bon Jovi, John Mellencamp and Waylon Jennings.

“Garbage” is a deeper trip into Sabatino’s dark side. The vocals are forlorn, begotten and beaten by the ravages of life with saddened acoustic guitar licks to match. Distorted elements are injected where needed while the rhythm section keeps it simple and in the pocket. A Hammond organ or some variation of the instrument provides slight washes of atmosphere in the background without overtaking the meat of this musical matter. The faint heartbeat of “Escape” is all about a deathbed rhythmic pulse with short spikes of bass, well-spaced drum strikes and a staccato down strokes of the guitar with Sabatino singing like he’s on his last leg. It’s a tune that eschews an easy payoff by being a payoff in itself. You have to listen to the whole thing to get where Chris is going. He further takes the EP down a downtrodden descent of blues on “Here with me,” although those glistening acoustic guitars provide just enough light for a downbeat/upbeat contrast that sticks. “You’re the Only One” is a straightforward rock song that most artists are afraid to pen these days. There’s not a lot of complexity, technicality or unusual time signatures flying around, just good from the gut rock with a stalking main riff and a half-speed honkytonk strut.

Maybe Not This Time is darn good work for an unknown. You can tell Sabatino has been in the game for a long-time; taking care and caution in honing his songwriting chops as he progresses with each release. Folks into the mainstream stuff might miss the point here, but if you’re looking for rock that’s not afraid to get in close and intimate to your person, this is exactly who you need to hear.

9 out of 10 stars.

Dale Butcher