Coco Montoya/The Brickhouse Blues Band

Upon hearing the sweet, opening guitar licks of Coco Montoya’s “Am I Losing You,” you might immediately imagine the song in the soundtrack of porn you'd find on VHS or playing during the montage sequence in a Rocky knockoff. But that's not a knock against the blues virtuoso. The reality is that Montoya can shred, but what else would you expect of a guy who toured with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers for throughout the ’80s? These days, Montoya remains a road warrior, with 27 shows booked through the first three months of 2016. With a deep catalogue of studio albums to choose from when preparing those live set lists, Montoya exudes emotional intensity in his singing and brings a technical expertise to his plucking, particularly on tracks “I Got a Mind to Travel” and “The One Who Really Love You.” (DeSmit)