Blindstone: Blues-o-delic Celebration

If there's one thing that a new album from Danish master blasters Blindstone ensures, it's blues. But then they also guarantee grooves. You can also rest assured that they'll provide authenticity and while we're at it you will never have any doubt that everything from Blindstone will be jammed packed with riff fuelled, fret burning guitar mastery. The band's eighth album is a prime selection of tasty covers all wrapped in Blindstone goodness that positively drips with heavy blues flavours and feeds the most voracious of appetites.

Cleverly, the uninitiated might not even suspect Blues-o-delic Celebration is a covers album at all. Yes, it concludes with a lengthy reworking of Jimi Hendrix's 'Hey Joe' that's slowed down and presented as a near lament. That apart the rest of these tracks, which ebulliently pay homage to ZZ Top, Leslie West, Rocky Hill, Guitar Shorty, The Gales Brothers, Shuggie Ottis and Peter Green mostly avoid the expected selections, choosing instead to shine a light on some less celebrated but equally exciting cuts. On top of that three Kings are also covered, BB, Freddie and Albert – blues royalty indeed – and here they are paid the respect that monarchy are due. "Rock Me Baby" by BB King suddenly becomes a bullish blues bruiser but there's a tender side at its heart, while Freddie King's "Pack It Up" is a proud strutting pound of riffology and classy vocals; the man providing both being Martin J Andersen, his gritty bark just as effective as his six string bite. "Finger On The Trigger" illustrates just how stunningly the man reinterprets Albert King, this new version, as all the tracks here are, reverential but never afraid to add an individual flavour that makes these old masters sound fresh and new.

From the other tracks Blindstoned, ZZ Top's fiery Bar-B-Q is lip-smacking rich in its flavours, while "The Blues Come Over Me", also originally by BB King, shines a light on a more reserved and easy side of the band covering it. With bassist Jesper Bunk and drummer Sigurd Jøhnk-Jensen as assured in this setting as they are kicking out the jams, the grooves really do dig in deep and keep you captivated for hours on end. At the risk of simply name checking every song in sight, the rocking roll of "By The River" (Leslie West) has to get a mention, if for nothing else, the fluid solo Andersen so expertly lays down, while "Blood Stream" (Rocky Hill) is one of those classy moments when Blindstone just let loose and give it everything they've got. And you can hear just how much they love doing exactly that, not just here but on each and every song on an album that's simply a howling good time from start to finish.

So really, if there's one thing you know Blindstone will bring to the party it's authentic, riff fuelled, fret burning guitar mastery that's brimming with good times grooves and bullish blues. Blues-o-delic Celebration lives up to that reputation and then some.

Track Listing
1. ROCK ME BABY

2. BLOOD STREAM

3. PACK IT UP

4. ME AND MY WOMAN

5. OLD SCHOOL

6. SOMETHIN'S GOT A HOLD ON ME

7. BUILT FOR COMFORT

8. BY THE RIVER

9. BAR-B-QUE

10. FINGER ON THE TRIGGER

11. THE BLUES COME OVER ME

12. STONE CRAZY

13. HEY JOE

Added: January 20th 2018
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Blues-o-delic Celebration at Grooveyard Re
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Language: english

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