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- Written by: Giovanni "Gio" Pilato
2015 might be over and done but there was so much music released last year, of such incredible quality that cannot be ignored or left behind at all.
Population Unknown is the outstanding debut of Mississippi Bigfoot, an American band formed in May 2015 following a concert performed in Clarksdale, MS. The outcome brought together this quintet of highly skilled musicians, allowing them to explore and exchange each other's musical roots even further, resulting in this excellent album.
It is important to underline the individual skills of each single member of the band on this exquisite record. Johnny Holiday on lead guitar builds some robust and powerful solos on tracks such as No Flesh In Outerspace or Who's Gonna Run This Town, flexing his guitar muscles with fabulous results. Ashley Bishop on guitars, Gary Dale on bass and Doug McMinn on drums and harp provide, throughout the album, a relentless consistant and precise rhytm session that doesn't miss a note in any track of the album.
Christina Vierra on vocals and ukulele deserves a special mention. Her powerful voice is able to create an incredible array of intense vibes and feelings through the whole record. It may carry, at times, a lot of fun and swagger, like on tracks such as The Hunter or Burn That Woman Down or be able to touch your soul so delicately, like very few singers are able to do, as in the ballad You Did.
There is never a moment of boredom on Population Unknown. It's a sonic journey going Southbound on the United States' map and in the history of American Music . Recorded in the legendary Ardent Studios in Memphis, the sound of the album captures elements of Memphis Soul, adding the roots and traditions of the Mississippi Delta Blues until reaching the unmistakable swamp of blues/rock style that has got the word "Texas" written through and through.
Intense, straight-in-your-face, sonically impeccable. Population Unknown offers a blend of genres and a quality of music of the highest standards. Mississippi Bigfoot is one of the best music surprises of 2015. One of those surprises that, we hope, is going to last for many years to come.
Giovanni "Gio" Pilato
Population Unknown is released by Silver Tongue Records and can purchased as a download via Amazon
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- Written by: Giovanni "Gio" Pilato
After 4 excellent records with his blues/rock project called Healing Sixes and several collaborations with artists belonging to the same music scene, Doug Henthorn welcomed solo debut comes after a recording hiatus of almost 3 years.
Half a way between an extended EP and a proper album, the 7-tracks on Cold Medicine showcases an artist at the peak of his artistic maturity. Supported by an excellent array of musicians during the recording process, Henthorn's vocals gift the listener with some really sublime moments throughout the album.
The Indiana-born artist moves with extraordinary flexibility from the country tempo of the song Simple Plan to the almost Zeppelin-esque folk of Wolf Cried All The Way To Memphis with such grace and class that just very few experienced performers are able to reach.
The opener Lament For The Band is a delicate rootsy-rock tune, one of the several highlights of the album, thanks also to the superb music arrangement that helps the track to breathe even more, just like a fine bottle of red wine.
Henthorn's ability is on full display on the closing track, the semi-acoustic That's Alright. The lyrics of the tune are passionate as it is Henthorn's vocal delivery and his acoustic guitar. The perfect ending for an album that shows phenomenal potential, although maybe a little short in terms of number of tracks. Doug Henthorn is back and we certainly want more of his music.
Giovanni "Gio" Pilato
Cold Medicine is available to be purchased as a download on Amazon or in physical format through Doug Henthorn's Website
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- Written by: Giovanni "Gio" Pilato
Also well known in the music business as one third of the blues/rock project Girls With Guitars, Heather Crosse delivers a very intense and soulful debut album with Groovin' At The Crosse Roads.
The Louisiana-born blues artist mixes elegantly her blues roots with 60's and 70's sounds, creating a very eclectic combustion of R&B, as in tracks like Bad Boy Kiss or pure Motown soul through songs like Hurryin' Up To Relax or Gwen McRae's splendid cover of Rockin' Chair.
Crosse's vocals are excellent as it is the work of the band that supported the American artist on this album and that Heather Crosse has been fronting live for the last eight years or so. The perfect musical axiom between Crosse and her band is particularly evident in tunes such as the Etta James' classic Damn Your Eyes or Clarksdale Shuffle, an homage to what Crosse loves to call her Hometown Ground.
The American guitarist/singer/songwriter couldn't ask for a better start in her creative musical journey. A great record to cherish and enjoy more and more on each passing listen.
Giovanni "Gio" Pilato
Groovin' At The Crosse Roads can be purchased via Ruf Records or Amazon
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- Written by: Giovanni "Gio" Pilato
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
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
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
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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