BLUES reviews
Ruthie Foster Lil’ Ed And The Erja Lyytinen
The Phenomenal
Blues Imperials
Grip Of The Blues
Ruthie Foster
Full Tilt
Ruf
Proper Records
Alligator RUF1141
PRPCD040
ALCD4926
KS
KS
KS
Direct from Finland, Erja Lyytinen is a strong
Watch out for this woman - she’s set to be
After playing together for more than twenty singer/songwriter as well as a killer slide
something big!
years, this band has developed into a well- guitarist. After signing to Ruf three years ago,
oiled unit that rocks out wild lawless blues and she hasn’t looked back - recording first with Ian
To get an idea of her truly soulful music, mix
boogie with just as much intensity as Hound Parker and Aynsley Lister and then releasing her
a dash of the old Hi sound from Memphis
Dog Taylor did in the old days. The revving own CD of tough guitar-led blues with Junior
with a touch of Mavis Staples’ pleading gospel
rhythm guitar, thundering bass, pounding Kimbrough’s sons David and Kinney.
vocals and then add some really spectacular
drumming and the constant drive of Ed’s
arrangements featuring the warm, funky sounds
squealing, screaming slide guitar along with his
Despite the title of this latest release, Erja has
of the Wurlitzer electric piano and sparkling
great lived-in voice, all add up to a thundering,
actually loosened her grip on the blues. As
acoustic guitars.
squalling mess of tremendously invigorating
Finland’s answer to Bonnie Raitt, she uses the
blues as a base for her music which borrows
She’s got a classic soul voice that soars on songs
blues music that I didn’t think existed anymore.
from pop, jazz and folk. She can slip into a
like Maya Angelou’s Phenomenal Woman,
The whole album is a blast - from the psychotic shimmering ballad like Wish I Had You as easily
gets down and dirty in the gritty blues of Son
energy of Hold That Train and Don’t Call Me as she lets rips on the sultry funk of Wanna Get
House’s People Grinnin’ In Your Face and then
with its brain-shredding guitar to the slow-but- Closer.
delivers pure gospel on Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s
powerful late-night feel of Life Got In The Way
Up Above My Head. And she has song writing
and its fabulously tough vocals with bone-
She has a great voice but she excels on
talent too. Harder Than The Fall and Mama
chilling slide solos.
guitar achieving a fine tone on everything
Said would be the best tracks on the CD if it
she attempts, at times outclassing many of
wasn’t for the glorious twists and turns on the
Hell, it’s all brilliant. Full Tilt is one of the most her contemporaries. Listen to the opening
serious slab of real funk Heal Yourself.
exciting and exhilarating blues albums I’ve instrumental Broadcast and tell me I’m wrong!
heard in a while!
The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster ain’t called
“Blues and slide riffing of the highest quality”
‘phenomenal’ for nothin’!
www.liledwilliams.com
Blues Matters!
“Will convert those hungry for some real, hot
soul.”
JJ Grey & Mofro
Carolyn
Los Angeles Times Orange Blossoms
Wonderland
Miss Understood
Blue Harlem
Alligator
ALCD4925
Ruf
I Dare You! RUF1143
SH
Harlem Records
TM
HARLCD008
Picking up seamlessly from where last year’s
TM
superb, Country Ghetto left off, the cast is once
It’s the driving lap steel at the heart of
again assembled in the Retrophonics studio,
Misunderstood that sets the tone for this fine
Blue Harlem’s fourth album is classic
St. Augustine, Florida under the watchful eye of
new CD from the Ruf stable. For a start it
Rhythm’n’Blues and swing that would have
co-producer Dan Prothero. The funk-factor is still
establishes this latest Texan blues siren as a real
been equally at home at the Apollo or the
turned up to 11 and JJ’s blue eyed soul is even
player. Secondly it has such a groove you know
Savoy in the 40s as it is today and the first to
more convincing.
you are going to be strapped in for the ride.
feature fabulous new singer Sophie Shaw. They
Over the four albums that Alligator released (the
Hailing from Austin, Carolyn has been making
continue their exploration of the urban blues
first two credited to just Mofro) JJ’s song craft
CDs since the mid 90s and apparently touring
and artists such as Louis Jordan, Percy Mayfield,
has gelled into something utterly compelling.
the world, although quite how she’s slipped
Charles Brown, Ruth Brown are all represented
Take the beautiful She Don’t Know for example,
beneath your reviewer’s radar is a mystery. (She
here, along with new material from the band
the Wulitzer piano and drums provide a simple
can name Bob Dylan amongst her fan club.)
itself and the song writing partnership of beat
platform for the strings and JJ’s excellent voice.
generation survivor Fran Landesman and Simon
With a smoky drawl somewhere between the
This is proper soul music. As it gives way to The
Wallace.
Bonnies Bramlett and Rait she oozes soul on
Truth you know that this is a very special record,
Bad Girl Blues and can funk it up with the best
It’s their best recording to date: the individual
with its B3 surges and once again the intelligent
of them on I Found The Lions and Walk On.
soloing is inspired and the tight ensemble
use of strings. The following pair of tracks WYLF
The band sound gig fit and ready As Trouble in
playing will swing you off your feet. Sophie,
and On Fire are, well, on fire.
the City and Throw My Love prove in spades.
who sounds as good as she looks, has done
If you’re hankering for something that picks
Superb stuff and that’s crystal clear from here.
a fantastic job re-interpreting and styling
up Gram’s gaunlet of Cosmic American Music,
these songs. The Maxwell Davis inspired
www.carolynwonderland.com
The late-great Eddie Hinton’s passion or
arrangements are terrific and bring the 1940s
Lowell’s country-funk. Stop here and buy one
small swing band sound bang up to date.
immediately.
So sit back and enjoy, or better still - roll up the “Favourable comparisons to legendary
rug and boogie on down – I Dare You!
southern rock outfits like Lynyrd Skynyrd
and Little Feat”
www.blueharlem.co.uk Blues Matters
Win every CD featured in this issue enter our completion at
www.properdistribution.com
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27 Properganda 10
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