Listening to this album you hear the true love of this bunch of guys for rock, soul, Gospel, blues and everything in between. Like Blues brothers on speed, they worship at the same song Aretha Franklin,Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard and Chuck Berry, creating a massive amount of heart stopping, mind blowing Southern inspired, ballsy rock n roll. When I say South, I mean the whole tradition from New Orleans to Memphis, Soul, blues, twelve bars rock n roll. No fillers , just ass kicking honest and shiny rhythm n blues.
Recording live to tape, with no overdubs, brothers Pablo (guitar/vocals) and Luka van de Poel (drums/vocals) alongside Robin Piso (Hammond/Wurlitzer) were joined by a host of friends for the recordings. “We brought extra people and wanted their signature on it. Playing with ten people in one room is chaotic. Every take you do, somebody is not satisfied with how they play. But you realise what is important about a take.”At the same time, the band were deep diving into old soul and R&B records – Sam Cooke, The Impressions, The Coasters, The Clovers, Ray Charles and Little Richard, as well as a heavy dose of gospel – The Soul Stirrers, Al Green and early records by The Staple Singers.
Songs like “Counterfeit Love,” impress with their groove, while at 16-minute “Rosita” they stretch their limits to create their own sermon of good music. "The Queen of Space and Time” is a slow burner, a more psychedelic, mesmerizing song that slows down the album's frenzy rhythm. On the other hand songs like ;"Night train" and "Mr. Garbage Man" are rhythm n blues, soul infused dynamites, eager to set every joint of the South on fire. Dutch or not, De Wolff are stuck in that moment in the 60s, where music was the savior and the gamechanger for everyone, black, white, latino, giving an outburst of raw power and inspiration for the young people, to love, dream and live with, shaping a brighter future,despite the world's changing (for the worse) conditions, with Vietnam war and the fuel crises just around the corner.
An album that on paper sound retro and on tape sounds fresh, exaggerating, inspiring and charming.
8
Comments