Damn Right I’ve Got The Blues – Marcus Bonfanti vs. Sterling Koch vs. Linda Valori
MARCUS BONFANTI
Shake The Walls
Jig-Saw
Oh, we’re fans of young buck Marcus Bonfanti, and this is his strongest statement yet as he fights to become the finest blues rocker around.
He’s one of those irritating people who has it all. He’s not just a great guitarist, he’s also a great singer and an increasingly good songwriter as the eleven originals on this set will attest.
This third release builds on “Hard Times” and “What Good Am I To You”, and pushes things on to the next level with blistering tracks like ‘Alley Cat’, ‘Cheap Whisky’ and ‘Stone Me Sober’ leading the way. Made the old fashioned way with Scott Wiber on bass, Alex Reeves on drums and a guesting Paddy Milner on Hammond, this is essential rockin’ the blues listening.
STERLING KOCH
Let It Slide
Full Force
If you like blues slide guitar (and you should) then Sterling Koch is a name you should already be familiar with.
In case you don’t know, Koch was a traditional six-string guitarist for over twenty years, until a severe neck injury led him to the pedal steel guitar in 2004. And now he’s one of the finest we’ve got.
This fifth album is a corker. A fine mix of covers and originals he, along with bassist Gene Babula and drummer John Goba are simply 100% rock solid. He’s not the greatest singer ever, but he can hold a tune, and anyone who covers one of my favourite Arc Angels tunes is alright by me (‘Shape I’m In’).
Over on the originals, it’s just as good with the likes of ‘Working Man Blues’, ‘I Only Want to Be with You’ and ‘I Don’t Know Why’ mining a Chicago blues vein to great effect.
LINDA VALORI
Days Like This
Le’Art
We’re off to Italy now to have a listen to Linda Valori. And she’s going for that sixties Stax vibe on a thoroughly enjoyable set.
She’s a great singer, and the production and performances of her band are just fabulous. Whether it’s horning up Van Morrisons ‘Days Like This’, getting down and dirrty on the Ike Turner penned ‘I Idolize You’ or taking on Janis Joplin on ‘Move Over’, she always comes up trumps. Although she’s no Noddy Holder!
It’s sometimes hard to believe that this is a new album, so full and rich is it in its sound. A record that puts so many plastic pretenders to shame. You know who you are. She can even take a song you’d never associate with soul and blues like the Pretenders ‘Don’t Get Me Wrong’ and make it sound like a lost soul classic. Beautiful.
Don’t forget to tune into Mr H every Thursday at 8pm, Her Majestys Great British time, when you will find him Rockin’ The Blues on that there internet radio. http://www.getreadytorockradio.com
The Rocker - The Artist Formerly Known As Zeitgeist. TAFKAZ 
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