Reflections In Blue, USA

”Finland’s best kept secret, and possibly hottest commodity, Micke Bjorklof & Blue Strip are a blues/rock band reminiscent of some of the earliest blues-rockers.”

I found myself going back to Macke Bjorklof & Blue Strip and giving them another listen. It resulted in a rewrite of my review and an apology to the band. These are all top-notch musicians…some of the best in the world.

Finland’s best kept secret, and possibly hottest commodity, Micke Bjorklof & Blue Strip are a blues/rock band reminiscent of some of the earliest blues-rockers. From hard-driving blues, deeply rooted in the oldest of blues traditions, to laid-back ballads, this band has their bases covered. The musicianship on this album is solid, through and through, with great guitar work and a rhythm section that is right on the money. As an added bonus, we have the fact that all the tunes are original, written by the band. Micke Bjorklof on vocals, harmonica and electric guitar (cut 4), Lefty Leppanen on electric and slide guitars & backing vocals, Teemu Vourela on drums, Seppo Nuolikoski on bass & vocals, Timo Roiko-Jokela on percussion, Tim Lewis on assorted organs, John Porter on electric guitar (cut 10) and background vocals thanks to Lena Lindroos & Veera Railio make up the unit that is tight as the proverbial gnat’s backside. They have obviously done their homework when it comes to blues and have not only a deep love for the genre but musical roots that run deep. If I had to pick a single word to describe this band, it would be ”polished.” They have been plying their trade throughout Finland and Scandinavia for more than 20 years…and it shows. While I was not familiar with the band until just recently, you can bet I’ll not miss their next release. This band shows elements of what appears to be a Cuban influence on a number or two, which I found not only interesting, but refreshing. The band is diverse, moving from one style to another, seamlessly, and never drifting far from the root in blues in the process. While some purists might argue, it is hard to ignore the quality of the musicianship, the songwriting and the overall performance. To put it bluntly, this is an ass-kicking band, and well worth a good listen, and then some. — Bill Wilson
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IN ENGLISH: The nine albums to date by Micke Björklöf's Blue Strip have been bringing joy to blues rock lovers for more than three decades. Needless to say, the high-profile ensemble hasn't released a dozen albums. Self-criticism and, undoubtedly, working with world-renowned producers, have left the band's shelves full of quality works waiting for their turn, but for one reason or another they have not passed the original screen. The album, released under the subtitle "Outtakes", offers a selection of nine previously unreleased performances from 2002 to 2022, five recordings from sessions from Blue Strip's long-playing albums "After The Flood" (2012), "Ain't Bad Yet" (2014) and "Colors Of Jealousy" (2022). The ten-year time span is not directly part of the band's workprint. One could easily imagine that the music was created in one and the same studio situation, also based on the quality of the material. Mark Bingham's New Orleans production includes the melodically rocking Heal You, enlivened by Björklöf's tasty harmonica solo, and Dontcha Know, which playfully borrows from classic blues lyrics. The John Porter-led sessions from Rockfield Studios in Wales include the exhilarating opening boogie On Vacation and the semi-acoustic expression of Way To Go, led by Ville Leppänen on resonator guitar. The content of the latest release "Colors Of Jealousy" was created in the band's own premises in Kauhava, and a sample of the reserve section is the dark and mellow modern mid-tempo blues Runnin' Shoes. Lena Lindroos and Veera Railio take care of the backing vocals on many tracks, with Tim Lewis and Brian Coogan as guests on Hammond. The remaining four tracks are presented with a "Studio artifacts" description. The funky Bedtime Bomber was backed by Neil Brockbank in London in 2006 and the band's solo breaks veer almost proggy. A strong document of the band's fusion skills, which were perhaps still considered too disconnected from the rest of the album 'Whole Nutha' Thang'. Soundwise and vocally a bit thinner are the three "Three Times Seven Is..." recordings from Hannu Leidén's Seawolf studio in Suomenlinna, Helsinki. In any case, Keep In Mind thunders along as a Fabulous Thunderbirds-style macho number - and again Björklöf's somewhat overlooked harmonica playing drives its point home in exemplary fashion. The rhythmic Silver Moon is dominated by Leppänen's slide guitar - although the song was exceptionally written by bassist Seppo Nuolikoski, and was later refined into a rather different arrangement for the aforementioned "Whole Nutha' Thang". Another rule-breaker in the vocal arsenal, which is otherwise the work of the aforementioned guitar maestro, is the almost entirely instrumental boogaloo-jazz tune Spooky Ride, whose compositional credits go to percussionist-vibraphonist Timo Roiko-Jokela. It's all very well for the authors, as their 'worthless jams' seem to be sweeping the prize table out of the reach of almost every other studio-recording bluesman by all standards.

Suora linkki nettiarvioon: www.bluesnews.fi/levyarvio_mickebjorklof3/

On hieno arvio 👍

Tulee kotiin lehti luen tarkkaan pidän tallessa. 11.12.2024

Reflections In Blue, USA

Reflections In Blue, USA

Micke Björklöf

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