Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Diamonds at the Rainbow's End (Live in Norway) , by V&BT (Vigdis & Bla Trad) and it's a solid blues rocker. Opening with Stormy Weather , V&BT hit square on with a straight forward rocker, featuring Vigdis Haugen on lead vocal, Tom Pettersen on guitar and backing vocal, Bjorn Lokling on bass and Christer Persson on drums and backing vocals. Confession is another straight forward rocker with a strong melody and with solid harmonies and clean lead guitar soloing by Pettersen a prime radio track. Break That Chain is another track with a radio melody. Pettersen plays some grinding guitar work and Persson's drumming is tight. Title track, Diamonds at the Rainbow's End has a reggae undertone rhythm giving it real alternate flavor with some of the best guitar riffs on the release and Haugen's vocals really shine. Wrapping the release is a rework of House of the Rising Sun showcasing Haugen's...

I just received the newest release, The Voodoo Sessions/Live at Down Under from Berdon Kirksaether & The Twang Bar Kings and it's got bite! Opening with Mama Roll Over , Berdon Kirksaether on guitar and vocal, sets a solid pace with swagger and sting. Joined by Erik Gabrielsen on guitar and vocal, Roy Hanssen on drums and vocals and Stein Tumert on bass and vocals, these guys mean business. Some Kind Of Voodoo , has a Bo Diddley beat and cool reverb guitar effects with nicely blended vocals. A solid tom tom beat by Hanssen sets the pace and nicely accented guitar tweaks reinforce the Voodoo effect. Very cool! Robin Trower's, Mad House , is a great rocker with definite Hendrix/Trower looseness and rip. Super! Wrapping the release is When The Moon Is On The Rise , is a cool understated rocker that builds as it goes. Obtuse guitar riffs and light/tight drumming carries this track. With traces of Led Zep and tons of guitar effect, this is a real cool closer for a super EP....

I just received the newest release, Latenighters Under A Full Moon , from Berdon Kirksaether and it's really quite interesting. Opening with Go Cat Go , blues fusion track with a walking bass line and organ bottom setting the stage for cool guitar improvization by Kirksaether. Very Nice! The band is a mix of musicianship from Kirksaether joined by Stein Tumert, Per Eriksen, Olaf Olsen, Finn Tore Tokle and Leo Volskiy. Cool Cats On The Move has a very ethereal feel with a snappy drum rhythm and bass ride overlayed with guitar harmonics, bent arpeggio's and cool effects. Conrad's Bar Bounty is a straight up 12 bar with solid lead guitar soloing over B3, drums and bass. The B3 work on the track is actually quite cool and blends nicely with Kirksaether. Rendezvous has a Latin rhythm and a simple pop melody played on electric guitar. Smooth and cleanly articulated. Jumping The Night Away is another straight 12 bar number finding Kirksaether soloing over a simple rhythm g...