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Written by: Giovanni "Gio" Pilato

Published: December 28, 2015

2015 has been a year of great live album releases, especially from blues artists. Live At Blues Baltica from the Danish quartet Ole Frimer Band belongs deservely to this category.

Recorded live in Germany in 2014, the 8-tracks album traces most of the band's original repertoire, with the sole exception of Hob Wilson's Black Cat Bone and Johnny Winter's Hustled Down In Texas.

The album represents the pinnacle of the band's philosophy: highly skilled musicians, expressing their talent and joy to play by stretching in different ways tunes like, the very entertaining and foot-stomping The Way You Move or the almost fusion-esque version of the ballad Sheltered Roads.

One of the many qualities of the Ole Frimer Band is to create their unique blues formula still respecting their roots and blending them with echoes of glorious bands of the past, such as the Traffic or Stevie Ray Vaughans' Double Trouble. The album is a celebration of a band playing with their hearts and souls, fusing with each other like a very tasty music recipe.

While Frimer's Guitar can be sweet, thunderous or sassy, depending by the tempo played, Palle Hjorth's Organ provides a brilliant base in which the dynamic rhythm section, with Jesper Bylling on Bass & Vocals and Claus Daugaard on drums can stretch their abilities even further, creating a really powerful sonic carpet.

Johnny Winter's cover Hustled Down In Texas is the perfect closure to the album. Frimer showcases his great ability not just on guitar but also on vocals, delivering excellent and flawless singing on one of the best songs of Winter's Songbook.

Whereas Blålys, their last studio release of 2014 was researching different musical territories with sometimes unsettling results, Live At Blues Baltica brings them back to their musical roots, displaying the ability of a talented group of musicians at the top of their game. The Ole Frimer Band at their very best.

Giovanni "Gio" Pilato

Live At Blues Baltica can be purchased at Pladekisten or Amazon

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Written by: Giovanni "Gio" Pilato

Published: December 19, 2015

When the latin rhytms meet the Mississippi Blues sound, the results cannot be less than incandescent. Carlos Elliot JR from Colombia has recently released his new album together with The Cornlickers, the Big Jack Johnson's band, called Del Otun & El Mississippi. The album cover is exquisitely 70's style and it is a record in which the Colombian artist showcases once again his great skills and ability on guitar and his unique mash-up of boogie, soul, Mississippi Hill Country Blues and Roots.

Del Otun & El Mississippi is a real fun record to listen to, which enhances not just the qualities of the Colombian artist as a guitarist/singer/songwriter but also as a deep connoisseur of the blues traditions.

The enthralling boogie sound coming from I Love You With All My Heart, the opener Down In Como or The Story Of Otun & North MS resemble the best moments of Muddy Waters or Bo Diddley's songbook.

The track Katrina The Mule carries echoes of Booker T. & The MGs, with Elliot's trademark guitar sound beautifully backed by The Cornlickers rhytm section. Even when Elliot steps into soulful ballads like Got This Feeling, with that unmistakable Motown feeling, the quality of the album remains very high. Elliott's voice, on ballads, becomes even more warm and tender, a pure joy to listen to.

One of the many highlights of the album is also coming from When The Beat Hits You, where Elliot and The Cornlickers turn vibrantly into pure Mississippi Hill Country Blues style, through the twists and turns that make this take on the traditional blues genre pretty much unique.

The surprises though, are not over at all. The instrumental My Mule Bray's In Othar's Hood is almost a military march, played solely by drum and Elliott's mouth pipe, a moment of little sweet self-indulgence on an excellently crafted album.

Another brilliant album from one of Colombia's finest musicians and a band that sounds at the top of their game. One cannot ask for more on a blues album.

Giovanni "Gio" Pilato

Del Otun & El Mississippi can be purchased as a download on Amazon

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Written by: Giovanni "Gio" Pilato

Published: December 16, 2015

On the sleeve notes of Viterbini's new album, there is a quote from Herman Hesse, stating "A good artist is destined to be unhappy in life: whenever he is hungry and opens his bag, he finds only pearls".

From a music fan's point of view, it is absolutely vital for the future of music that there are artists out there, hungry enough and able to confront themselves with other musicians playing different genres and willing to challenge their music roots. With Film-O-Sound, Viterbini has certainly achieved this goal and written his personal masterpiece.

The album is a total homage to what, very quickly get defined as "World Music" but in reality, carries much deeper music values and sound structures. It's almost like a sonic journey through different cultures, pitched perfectly by Viterbini's appreciation and understanding of music in its globality.

His slide guitar sound moves graciously from the almost dreamy version of Five Hundred Miles, with just guitar and piano, to the vibrant Americana/Folk-ish original from Viterbini called Bakerlite, with the Italian artist dueting splendidly with Stefano Tavernese on violin.

The record carries so many pleasant surprises. Viterbini travels around the globe with his different variations of music tempo on Film-O-Sound. Malaika transports sweetly the listener's mind between Cuba and Hawaii, with such class that even an original Mariachi would bow at the way the Italian guitarist's penned this old classic.

Tunga Magni and Welcome Ada are two little gems that add an extra spice to this already very palatable record. Viterbini has been working lately with many African musicians and his music has been very inspired and influenced by the sinuos sounds coming from the Sahara Desert and the Tuareg community. His friendship with the World Music Maestro Bombino showcases an highly interesting music combustion, when the slide guitar of Viterbini and Bombino's National Guitar intersect their vibes and fuse together in perfect alchemy.

Mondo Slack Key and Nemi are two originals that would make Ry Cooder a very happy man. Viterbini's acoustic guitar sound is so light and flawless that, just by closing your eyes, it feels like walking magically on thin air.

Film-O-Sound is a total expression of what Viterbini is all about. An artist willing not to seat comfortably in his artistic niche but prepared to challenge himself and his music credo with other fellow musicians, managing perfectly to combine different sound fragments coming from different styles and cultures in a formidable sonic mosaic. A fine labour of love for music.

Giovanni "Gio" Pilato

Film-O-Sound can be purchased via Amazon

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Written by: Giovanni "Gio" Pilato

Published: December 13, 2015

Too often, Music Press has released over-inflated statements about someone's skills and ability, definying this or that artist as "The Future Of" some music genres.

In Laurence Jones' case, such statement does not even start to express his ability, skills and great potential. With a deep understanding of music on many levels and at 360 degrees, at the tender age of 23, the british singer/songwriter and guitarist writes and plays music with such depth and maturity to leave music fans, media and fellow musicians utterly speechless. Jones' new album, What's It Gonna Be, recently released in the United States, is a complete triumph of great songwriting and craftmanship of very high standards.

There are many highlights on the album. The opener and title-track of the album is a phenomenal knock-out blues-rock track that sounds as majestic in the lyrics as much as it is musically. Jones' voice is so fresh, flexible and consequently able to adapt to all the different music territories he explores on What's It Gonna Be. From the raspy attack on the bluesy Evil to softer rock ballads such as Don't Look Back, on which he beautifully duets with Sandi Thom, the british artist shows an incredible versatility that just music veterans would be able to achieve, still maintaining his own defined vocal identity and style.

Supported brilliantly by Roger Inniss on bass and Miri Miettinen on drums, Jones' guitar sound gets better and better in each passing record. This new album is defined by many as a blues one. In reality, there are so many different music elements coming from different genres that Jones cleverly manages to incorporate in his music formula, making this album refreshing and brilliantly constructed for any sort of music fans.

There are wonderful rock moments like Being Alone or Touch Your Moonlight, all originals and masterfully penned lyrically and musically by Jones and his band. Even when Jones covers classics, the album does not stop to impress. Can't Get Enough, in which he duets with that extraordinary singer that is Dana Fuchs, has got that Southern Rock robust sound so close to the heart of bands like The Fleetwood Mac and constitutes one of the most entertaining moments of the album.

Jones though reaches the pinnacle of his artistry on What's It Gonna Be by executing a breathtaking version of Leadbelly's classic Good Morning Blues. Sharp, intense and powerful, with a guitar solo that reaches outstanding levels of perfection.

The young Guitar Virtuoso has written, through this album, another landmark of his music career. And given his young age, in Jones' case, we can certainly confirm that "The Future Of Blues/Rock", through his talent, is guaranteed for many years to come.

Giovanni "Gio" Pilato

What's It Gonna Be is released and available on Ruf Records

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Written by: Giovanni "Gio" Pilato

Published: November 29, 2015

It's celebration time for the British-born and super versatile blues artist Eddie Martin. After his 2014 Best Of album, Martin has now released a new record, Live In Tuscany, in which the scale of his eclecticity reaches one of the highest peaks of Martin's music career.

The live album, released under the name of Eddie Martin's Big Red Radio, took almost 3 years for the blues Maestro to be able to find the right musicians and complete this project.

Live In Tuscany develops the original form of some of Martin's classics to a complete new level, dazzling through country-blues, americana and folk, incorporating brilliantly even some pop music elements.

The outcome fits perfectly the album's concept. Blues Took Me By The Hand resonates as the work of a complete blues orchestra, pulsating throughout the whole tune with elegance and craftmanship. Ingolstadt has got a fabulous down-tempo groove, with a great solo on keyboards by Alberto Gurissi.

The intensity of Five Things brings back memories of Blind Willie Johnson, Something About You Baby carries through some little funky vibes while Month Of Mondays' Bossanova delicate sound help even further to make this album even more palatable to any music lover.

The rock attack on Watching The Weather detonates as strong as a Led Zeppelin song would have done in the old days. Martin's voice sounds as good as it has ever been throughout Live In Tuscany and his work on Harmonica, Slide and Electric Guitar is first class.

Martin plays with the lyrical themes on the album very cleverly. Aware of the multi-ethnicity of the musicians present in this project, Eddie Martin incorporates themes very close to his heart, such as social justice to others related to social harmony, tolerance and respect for one another.

Live In Tuscany represents not just a music feast in its entirety but it is also a clear manifesto of the high level of music skills of an artist like Martin. An artist that never stops to surprise and entertain people with his talent and ability.

Giovanni "Gio" Pilato

Live In Tuscany is out now and can be purchased at Amazon

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Written by: Giovanni "Gio" Pilato

Published: November 26, 2015

Soundcheck is an album that describes the many faces of a musician that loves music in its entirety, approaching each song from West's unique point of view. This album is, essentially, an elegant collection of covers that West had always wanted to put on record and felt that it was right to do so right now.

Some of the album's covers have been given an amazing transformation. You Are My Sunshine is played in an astonishing minor-key version, allowing West and Peter Frampton, special guest on this track, to showcase both guitarists' great technique and West's amazing vocals. The best vocals that West delivers on the album belong though, to Empty Promises/Nothing Sacred, a song that West defines as "His tribute to AC/DC". The New York Guitar virtuoso clearly demonstrates on this track that rock knows no age, either from a guitar playing prospective or by delivering incredible levels of vocals.

There are many more highlights on the album. The opening Left By The Roadside To Die is, perhaps, the stand-out track on Soundcheck. West combines beautifully acoustic and electric guitar on a music carpet of synth, created by his keyboard player David Biglin. The solo guitar part played on a slide is a little masterpiece and encaptures perfectly the skills and artistry of Leslie West.

The two instrumentals on Soundcheck are also very special. Eleanor Rigby, The Beatles classic, gives the opportunity to West's bassist, Rev Jones, to pen an incredible solo of rare beauty. A Stern Warning instead, sees West zigzaging elegantly from acoustic blues to country and classical, with amazing changes of music tempo thrughout the whole track.

West is never shy in inviting big names onto any of his albums and Soundcheck is no exception. For the cover of Freddie King's classic Goin' Down, West dusts off from his archive a version that he had recorded more than a decade ago with Queen's guitarist Brian May and legendary session players of the calibre of David Hood and Bobby Whitlock. Once West had the original tapes, he just had to track vocals on and the outcome sounds really incandescently powerful.

One final note for the closing track of the album. Willie Dixon's Spoonful was recorded live in 1988 and along with West, there was Joe Franco on drums and the late great Jack Bruce on bass and vocals. The live performance of this tune is wild, powerful, with that 70's circa raw type of sound and reminds all of us once again, not just West's incredible artistry on guitar but also Bruce's amazing talent.

Soundcheck is not, perhaps, West's finest hour but contains so many great moments that tiny moments of indulgence can be easily forgiven. A celebration of skills and musical extravaganza, elegantly packed, as always by Leslie West.

Giovanni "Gio" Pilato

Soundcheck is out now via Provogue/Mascot Label Group