Damn Right I’ve Got The Blues – Blues Point vs. Quique Gomez & Luca Giordano vs. Sheba

Damn Right I’ve Got The Blues – Blues Point vs. Quique Gomez & Luca Giordano vs. Sheba

BLUES POINT
Simply Blues
independent release

I’ve never been to Poland, but I did spend 20 years living in Leith, which has more Poles per square foot than anywhere else on Earth. Most of their time seemed to spent drinking, fighting and crying, so it’s no wonder they fitted in seamlessly. And they certianly seemed to have the blues.

And here comes Polish solo / duo / trio Blues Point to prove once and for all that they do, indeed, have the blues. The main man is Wlodek Sobczak, the singer, acoustic and electric guitarist, keyboards, bass and drummer. He’s helped out by Mirek Borkowski who plays guitar and sings on five tunes, and also by saxophonist Arek Osenkowski.

It’s all original material, with only one cover – ‘Lonely In This Town’ by Swiss blues performer Philipp Fankhauser – and sees them mixing up acoustic blues, blues rock and even verging on rock’n’roll. It’s competent withou ever exploding into life, and makes for a pleasant listen. The one exception is ‘My Guardian Angel’, which sees them find a song that matches the performance. More of a download some tracks experience, rather than a full on album.

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QUIQUE GOMEZ & LUCA GIORDANO
Chicago 2011 Studio Sessions
independent release

And just to prove that the blues is an international language, here comes Spanish moothie player Quique Gomez and Italian guitarist Luca Giordano over in Chicago (where they first met, thousands of miles away from home) to record an album with some well respected American blues musicians. And it’s really rather good.

It’s split equally between originals and covers, with the covers coming out best, aided by guests such as Bob Stroger, Jimmy Burns, Eddie C Campbell and others. Gomez takes care of vocals but it’s his honking harmonica that’s the star of the show. You won’t be surprised, bearing in mind the title and location, that it’s Chicago blues that gets the nod here.

The whole album is an enjoyable romp, with the band in fine fettle. The highlights are many, but if you wanted to drop the needle into a winning groove, point yourself towards ‘Bad Boy’ and ‘Rocket 88’ for starters.

http://www.quiquegomez.com/
SHEBA
Butter On My Rolls
independent release

Turns out that Sheba is, in fact, the Mississippi Queen. I didn’t know the colonials went in for royalty after they kicked up such a stink last time around, but it seems they’ve calmed down a bit. Martha Booker, for it is she, learned to sing the blues in Sunflower Mississippi, while her twin sister followed in the footsteps of their father, the singing insurance man, who was a gospel singer.

They worked menial sharecropping and picking jobs in Mississippi and Florida before Sheba joined up with musician Freddie Nelson in The Swingers, who made their recording debut in New York. However, their personal life wasn’t happy and Sheba returned to Florida, singing in jazz clubs. Eventually, she returned to the blues with Wild Rob Moore Blues Band before ending up with her own band.

And here she is with a fine set of original blues tunes to go with her gospel roar, something she can temper with ease. It’s a mixture of soul, blues and gospel, often within the confines of the same song. Granted, not everything is out of the top drawer, but there are more than enough good tunes, with the likes of ‘Dance Jump And Shout’, ‘Can’t Help Lovin’ My Man’ and ‘Oh So Good’ well worthy of repeat plays.

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