Blues is one of those music genres about which many experts and artists have provided their own definition, or translated their vision of Blues by portraying it in a more updated way, often taking away, though, the essence and the origin of the genre itself and partly, what it used to stand for.
Rather fortunately, the Italian Grammy-nominated Harmonica Blues Maestro and singer/songwriter Fabrizio Poggi has, instead, always maintained, throughout his illustrious career, a sense of loyalty towards Traditional Blues and/or Gospel, adhering to their sonic standards with huge respect for their tradition and history, receiving enormous accolades from the music press, fellow music artists and fans from all over the world.
Back in 2022, the Italian artist had decided to delve into his vast musical archive, considering to release a record of outtakes and live material collected through decades of studio albums and live touring that, for some reasons, did not find space on any of Poggi's previous records. The Italian singer/songwriter discovered some exceptional gems that deserved to see the light of the day, which the Harmonica Maestro assembled altogether in an album called Basement Blues, a record that obtained excellent general consensus from Poggi's many admirers.
In some ways, Fabrizio Poggi's 2022 last release constituted the platform for the artist's new album called Healing Blues, a record where Poggi possibly meant to frame not only songs that may have had a particular significance for the Italian Harp Virtuoso, but also considering the new record as a sort of sonic Thank You to some of the many artists with whom Poggi has worked throughout his career and still does, to these days.
From his "Brother From Another Mother", as Poggi often and affectionately refers to, when talking about the American Blues giant, guitarist and singer-songwriter Guy Davis, to Shar White, another highly acclaimed singer/songwriter, Poggi's new album comes across as an intimate chapter in the artist's career and personal life, a life where the values of music and people, among others, have always been at the core of the Italian artist's music making.
Poggi's Harmonica sound is the starting point from which the singer/songwriter builds up his emotional setlist included in Healing Blues, through 10 aptly chosen songs where Poggi manifests, in his trademark playing and singing fashion, the only way he knows to show his appreciation to those part of his past, present and future within the music business.
Together with the aforementioned Guy Davis and Shar White, a few more musical friends of Poggi find space in this delicate, almost intimate record, like the talented Italian guitarist Enrico Polverari, the Chicken Mambo band (which includes, together with Polverari, also highly accomplished musicians like Tino Cappelletti and Gino Carravieri in a collective that has often accompanied Poggi in many live tours and also recorded in studio with the Harmonica Maestro) and last, but not least, the Italian/Austrian Blues artist Hubert Dorigatti.
Among the many classics included by Poggi in Healing Blues, like Amazing Grace, Walk On and You Gotta Move, a much needed mention goes to Song For Angelina, an exquisite declaration of love from Poggi to his wife, manager and musical partner in crime Angela Megassini, where Poggi and Guy Davis chiseled a true masterpiece of harmony and tremendous lyrical craftmanship, in a stand-out track of incredibly moving beauty.
We don't know for sure whether Blues can heal people or not, but we do know of the therapeutic effect that music in general has always had and still has on people of many different age ranges. Healing Blues does, in that respect, deliver exactly what the album title promises; healing energy, Blues and, most importantly, the heart, soul and true craftmanship of one of the most gifted Bluesmen around, intended in the proper meaning of Blues, of this century.
Healing Blues is out now and can be purchased via Appaloosa Records