I first heard about Mathias Lattin when a record company rep asked me if I had heard his new album, Up Next (VizzTone). I was a little suspicious when the young Houston guitarist was being hailed as the "next big thing" in the blues world. Exaggerated hyperbole or do we have another star coming into the blues world?

It's the latter, folks. After a couple of times through the 10 original cuts on Up Next, I'm all in. Lattin is ready to join Christone "Kingfish" Ingram as the next early 20's blues star on the scene. No doubt about it!

Lattin has been showing up on the Houston blues scene since his early teens and graduated from the Kinder High School for Performing and Visual Arts magnet program. He started getting attention outside H-Town when he won 1st place at the 2023 International Blues Challenge in Memphis as well as earning the Best Guitarist Award --- all at the tender young age of 20.

Each of the 10 cuts on Up Next is a bonafide blues classic in the making. To complement his preternatural guitar skills, Lattin has a voice that complements his instrumental prowess. We hear that right away on the opener, "Who's Been Loving On You," a slow blues on which the pain in his voice is transferred into the guitar chords, with Shawn Allen's keyboard providing appropriate accompaniment. Like me, you will likely be buying Lattin's future stardom just with this number.

We then hear the first of two versions of the fabulous single, "Lose Some Weight," a mid-tempo blues that's not about losing actual pounds but rather shedding the emotional baggage from the woman that he's encouraging to leave. Lattin's guitar solo is wonderful, while Andrew Douglas provides a solid foundation throughout with organ accompaniment. We later get a live version of the same song, with slightly sparser and spooky sound allowing the voice and guitar to stand out, especially as he puts even more creativity into his guitar solo. Hearing a live version just makes me want to see Lattin on a stage near me soon.

"Can't Stop Feeling" is a straight-ahead 12-bar blues shuffle, with multiple sounds converging towards the end of the song. We get a big horn sound behind Lattin as he sings out his feelings about a woman that he just can't give up. The funky "You Know This Won't Do" has Lattin trying to figure out what's wrong with his baby. Darrell Lavigne drives this one along with his piano work while Kyle Turner gives us a killer sax solo.

The mid-tempo blues shuffle, "Party," has a big sound with Lattin's voice given some extra effects in the mix, and Douglas comes in with one of the best organ solos we will hear in a while. I agree with Lattin when he sings out "... let's party ...," as I was tempted to reach into my mini-fridge for an IPA. He later adds a short refrain of the instrumental bits of "Party," calling it "After Party" and lasting just a minute and 45 seconds.

Another blues shuffle, "You Don't Love Me No More," gives Lattin's guitar the space to meander through the chords, emphasizing his defiant vocals about the woman who doesn't want him around anymore. This is getting to be redundant info, but I'll say again that Douglas' organ accompaniment is spot on.

As much as I've loved Lattin's guitar work to this point in the album, I'm just floored by what he gives us on the up-tempo soulful blues "I Tried So Hard." I'm running out of ways to say just how good this young man is on both guitar and vocals. I also like how he works the "... I wouldn't treat a dog the way you've treated me ..." into this song, perhaps a tribute to Houston blues legend Bobby "Blue" Bland who wrote and recorded the classic "I Wouldn't Treat A Dog (The Way You Treated Me)."

Not counting the repeats of "Party" and "Lose Some Weight," Up Next ends with the harder blues of "2nd Degree," a spooky number with vocal and guitar effects that take Lattin into blues/rock territory. Perhaps a little bit of Hendrix influence here.

I agree with the promotional verbiage that Lattin can be the next big thing in the blues world. The album title Up Next is appropriate. Not counting the live version of one song and the refrain of another, we only get eight cuts here, but there is a lot of blues packed into about 30 minutes of music. It's just going to whet our appetites for more from Mathias Lattin. I can't wait for what's next in this young man's career.

--- Bill Mitchell