Various Artists – European Blues Challenge (EBC).
This live compilation is a good way to get a feel of what is happening on the Blues scene throughout Europe. Artists from Scandinavia, East and West Europe came together in Berlin on 18th and 19th of March this year to do battle in the 1st European Blues Challenge and the standard is surprisingly high. First up is Meena from Austria, already with an album released by Ruf Records, and I Shoot You Down. This is a pounding opener with excellent slide guitar and a strong vocal. Howlin’ Bill is from Belgium and his slick blues on Six Feet Five make little impact. The guitar solo is pleasant enough but the harp solo is better received. It’s a bit too long at over 6 minutes. Swiss band Bluecerne gives us He Was A Friend Of Mine which is Hoochie Coochie Man by any other name and no anywhere near as good. It’s too smooth but the guitar work saves it slightly. Richie Arndt & The Bluenatics from Germany delivers a hi-energy Little Brother Of Mine. There is a sense of rockabilly here but they are best known in their homeland as a blues rock band. Denmark gives us Tim Lothar with In It For The Ride. Lothar’s high class acoustic slide is a memory that will outlast most on the album. The Suitcase Brothers hail from Spain and their song, Motherless Children, is from the top drawer. The mix of cello and wailing harp blends well on a suitably sombre song in keeping with the title. Micke & Lefty Featuring Chef are from Finland and the ZZ Top riff of I’m A Guitar Man sets up this raw boogie to perfection. The average slide guitar playing doesn’t detract from the overall feel. French act Awek gives us a slow stomping blues in the form of Hush Your Mouth. This almost makes it; a little bit more aggression would have done it.
T-Train Kick is the offering from Croatia’s Tomislav Goluban & LPFB. The harmonica goes like a train on this one and you can certainly hear the effort on this instrumental. The opening to the song is good and the whole lung bursting piece is better than most. Italy is represented by One Man 100% Bluez with Different End Boogie. This is a down and dirty boogie and very classy. The Latvian Blues Band is from Latvia, surprisingly, and gives us Good Bye, a slow, silky R&B that you wouldn’t expect from the Baltics. King Mo from The Netherlands gives us Ain’t Nobodies Business, an old track but with top guitar. The Norwegian entry is Vidar Busk & His True Believers and they present Stompin’ Our Feet With Joy. This is a swing blues with good harp interludes but most of all, they are just enjoying themselves. Poland’s Boogie Boys serve up an R&B jazz crossover in the form of Hey You and Emil & The Ecstatics from Sweden go the opposite and play a rhythmic blues with a tidy guitar and organ solo on Bill By Bill. The UK act, 24 Pesos, get to close the album with Live My Life and they throw in a few modern elements. There’s a bit of rapping in what really constitutes modern blues shouting and the sing-along chorus conjures up elements of Creedence Clearwater Revival.
The winner of the inaugural challenge was Howlin’ Bill from Belgium, Austria’s Meena was second and Poland’s Boogie Boys were third. My top three? Meena, Tim Lothar from Denmark and The Suitcase Brothers from Spain. Goes to show how many good acts there are here.
http://www.bluesyou.com/
David Blue.
This live compilation is a good way to get a feel of what is happening on the Blues scene throughout Europe. Artists from Scandinavia, East and West Europe came together in Berlin on 18th and 19th of March this year to do battle in the 1st European Blues Challenge and the standard is surprisingly high. First up is Meena from Austria, already with an album released by Ruf Records, and I Shoot You Down. This is a pounding opener with excellent slide guitar and a strong vocal. Howlin’ Bill is from Belgium and his slick blues on Six Feet Five make little impact. The guitar solo is pleasant enough but the harp solo is better received. It’s a bit too long at over 6 minutes. Swiss band Bluecerne gives us He Was A Friend Of Mine which is Hoochie Coochie Man by any other name and no anywhere near as good. It’s too smooth but the guitar work saves it slightly. Richie Arndt & The Bluenatics from Germany delivers a hi-energy Little Brother Of Mine. There is a sense of rockabilly here but they are best known in their homeland as a blues rock band. Denmark gives us Tim Lothar with In It For The Ride. Lothar’s high class acoustic slide is a memory that will outlast most on the album. The Suitcase Brothers hail from Spain and their song, Motherless Children, is from the top drawer. The mix of cello and wailing harp blends well on a suitably sombre song in keeping with the title. Micke & Lefty Featuring Chef are from Finland and the ZZ Top riff of I’m A Guitar Man sets up this raw boogie to perfection. The average slide guitar playing doesn’t detract from the overall feel. French act Awek gives us a slow stomping blues in the form of Hush Your Mouth. This almost makes it; a little bit more aggression would have done it.
T-Train Kick is the offering from Croatia’s Tomislav Goluban & LPFB. The harmonica goes like a train on this one and you can certainly hear the effort on this instrumental. The opening to the song is good and the whole lung bursting piece is better than most. Italy is represented by One Man 100% Bluez with Different End Boogie. This is a down and dirty boogie and very classy. The Latvian Blues Band is from Latvia, surprisingly, and gives us Good Bye, a slow, silky R&B that you wouldn’t expect from the Baltics. King Mo from The Netherlands gives us Ain’t Nobodies Business, an old track but with top guitar. The Norwegian entry is Vidar Busk & His True Believers and they present Stompin’ Our Feet With Joy. This is a swing blues with good harp interludes but most of all, they are just enjoying themselves. Poland’s Boogie Boys serve up an R&B jazz crossover in the form of Hey You and Emil & The Ecstatics from Sweden go the opposite and play a rhythmic blues with a tidy guitar and organ solo on Bill By Bill. The UK act, 24 Pesos, get to close the album with Live My Life and they throw in a few modern elements. There’s a bit of rapping in what really constitutes modern blues shouting and the sing-along chorus conjures up elements of Creedence Clearwater Revival.
The winner of the inaugural challenge was Howlin’ Bill from Belgium, Austria’s Meena was second and Poland’s Boogie Boys were third. My top three? Meena, Tim Lothar from Denmark and The Suitcase Brothers from Spain. Goes to show how many good acts there are here.
http://www.bluesyou.com/
David Blue.
