Roots Art Records artist: Andres Roots - Vol. 12 - New Release Review

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Vol. 12, from Andres Roots and it's a solid acoustic blues release. Opening with So It Is, Subhuti, Roots plays a solid, resonator with slide tune and a solid opener. Dromedary is a cool. finger picked acoustic track with a strong melody and rhythm. Roots has a great sense of blues as it fits in todays world. Another favorite on the release is Picnic at Dockery's with a claw like picking style and super slide accents. Years Past Midnight is a cool rout with country blues style picking, again accented with fat slide work by Roots. Wrapping the release is Sherwood with rhythmic strumming setting a firm foundation for Roots' melodic slide work. This is a cool release featuring a full load of blues approaches. 

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Roots Arts Records artist: Andres Roots - Tartu Lockdown - The House Arrest EP's - New Release Review

 

I just had the opportunity to review the latest release, Tartu Lockdown - The House Arrest EP's, from Andres Roots and it's a cool batch of instrumental blues tracks. Starting with a session recorded in March of 2020 Roots on 6 string cigar box guitar cranks out Lindberg Boogie, a quick paced slide blues. Roots has a sure hand and using his thumb as the drone note slides frantically end to end on the fretboard. Cool opener. Soup City Blues #3 is a bit more somber eventually picking up a traditional 12 bar feel. The second set on the release was recorded in April of 2020 and opens with Hello Neighbor #1. Bridging multiple strings on his slide and using that drone thumb, this is a really cool track. 

Springtime Blues is a light blues track with a catchy melody. With it's simple phrasing and boogie rhythm, it's one of my release favorites. An interesting mixture of blues and jazz, For Future Reference, shows a different type of phrasing and single note, finger picked melody and with slide as a compliment on what sounds like a standard acoustic guitar. 

The third set, recorded in May of 2020, opens with One String Racket, a curious name for a track which sounds like it's recorded using some type of light weight metal stringed instrument. Very interesting. Lockdown Special has an "Eastern" twist on the slide work with it's wavering tonality and maintains a drone note but is considerably more finger picked than much of the rest of the release. Wrapping the release, is Extra Noodles, a track with a bit more rock influence, reminding me just a bit of early Jeff Beck but still on a non traditional instrument. Conventional blues styling and a solid rhythm make this an ideal closer for a pretty cool instrumental release. 

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Roots Art Records artist: Andres Roots - Mississippi to Loch Lomond - New Release Review

 

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Mississippi to Loch Lomond, from Andres Roots and it's a strong set of acoustic style blues tracks from one of todays strongest slide players. Opening with In The Dark, a cool delta style slide piece, Roots digs in with great attack and fervor. A more solitude approach was taken on Build Me A Statue where strong, yet deliberate slide phrasing is the key. On Snake Girl Blues, Roots uses an effective blues phrase as the refrain with a cool slide anchor and slides nicely through the melody. Very nice. One of my favorite tracks on the release is Legacy Blues with it's traditional structure and sweet slide phrasing. Roots has a real nice hand and works this track just right. Another of my favorites is finger picked 4 AM Hot Dog with it's Piedmont kind of style and driving thumb bass line. Alternating back and forth between flat and slide, a real nice track. With it's light feel, Spanish Run moves from a rock/surf like tune done on acoustic guitar to a more intricate and classical like tune with varying time signatures. Very cool. Traditional tune, Station Blues Medley is a sliding cruise through melodies including You Gotta Move and Sitting On Top Of The World. The Sheik Of Hawaii blends multicultural melodic and rhythmic concepts, all expressed on slide guitar creating quite an interesting outcome. Wrapping the release is Wagon Swing, falls back to a more traditional blues style track with a solid bass drone and slide melody. This release shows a perfect balance of traditional and contemporary acoustic and slide blues influenced music. Very nice. 

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Roots Art Records artist: Andres Roots - Breakfast In September - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Breakfast In September, from Andres Roots and it's quite good. Opening with The Sheik of Hawaii Pt. 1, Andres Roots is on a steel resonator and making terrific slide sounds. With a riff that has just a touch of middle eastern flavor, Roots attacks the strings. His work is sure and true. Excellent opener. Tango Walk features Roots, joined by his one time teacher, Halvo Livamagi blending a tango guitar rhythm and slide soloing by Roots. This is a nicely balanced track with well blended techniques. 4 AM Hot Dog is a cool rag time track clearly showing Roots finger mastery and authentic style. Very nice. Another excellent blues track, Leif's Guitar Blues is a super display of finger picking and slide technique. Thing Stephan Grossman. Waltzin' Blue on electric guitar with slide is really lush with super bass notes injected much like Kottke does. Very nice. With really fat slide tone, 7th Heaven is really cool. A fast boogie, this track defines slide. Excellent. Stumbleweed is a nice, traditional Delta style blues with varying tempos and European melodic overtones. Very nice. Wrapping the release is The Sheik of Hawaii Pt. 2. with a much more complex, electric slide overtone. I really like this release and can't wait to listen to it on my home stereo.

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Roots Arts Records artist: Andres Roots - Winter - New Release review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Winter, from Andres Roots, and it's deep. Opening with Karlova Blues a hill country style blues with snappy drum work and nice slide, Richard Townend has lead vocal and electric guitar with Andres Mikk on drums and Andres Roots on dobro. Winter Blues has a uptempo feel featuring Bert Deivert on vocal and mandolin, Raul Terep on drums and Roots on guitar. Shuffle track, Thanks For Bringing Me Down, features Howard Fishman on vocal and electric guitar, Terep on drums and Roots on guitar. Very cool. Tea For Alex is a really stripped down blues rocker with Terep on drums jamming with Roots on guitar. This is a great jam with some great effects. Tight. Mike Tammepold has the lead on vocal on All In The Cards with Terep on drums, Roots on guitar and Asko-Rome' Altsoo on additional instrumentation. Right out of the Muddy Waters song book, Morganfield Blues, has solid blues roots with Waters guitar riffs by Roots, vocals by Ismo Haavisto on vocal and harp and Peeter Plik on upright bass. Very nice. Get Me Back features James Dalton on vocal, Terep on drums and Roots on slide guitar. Another classic blues form track. Steve Lury has lead vocal and a nice extended harp solo on Spider In My Bed. With solid Chicago roots, Plik on bass, Terep on drums and Roots on guitar this is one of my favorites on the release. With it's Latin influence, Spanish Run, is another instrumental with a cool feel. Featuring Terep on drums and Roots on guitars, this is another of my favorites on the release. With Lorete Medne on lead vocal Solitaire stands out with her interesting voice. Backed by Edgars Galzons on helicon, Terep on drums and percussion and Roots on guitars, this track is soothing. Alligator Blues is a cool blues rocker with fleet slide work by Roots on dobro, Louie Digman on vocal and Mikk on drums. Wrapping the release is Silver Lining, a cool slow blues with Roots laying out some really nice slide work backed by Digman on piano and Terep on drums. This is a terrific track to close a pretty interesting release.



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Live EP From Estonian Duo

On Friday, August 5, the Estonian duo Andres Roots & Anneli Kadakas released a new live CD, "FiESTa!" Recorded on May 28, 2016 at the Endla Theatre in Pärnu, Estonia during the XXX anniversary concert of the jazz festival FiESTa, the 5-track EP marks the first time drummer Kadakas and slide guitarist Roots have played together in 20 years, as well as their first public performance together – in 1996, Kadakas was the drummer in Roots' first band that never played a gig. Roots' previous release, the compilation LP "Roots Music" that featured collaborations with Dave Arcari (UK), Steve Lury (UK), Black River Bluesman (Finland), L.R. Phoenix (UK), Bert Deivert (USA), Lorete Medne (Latvia), Eric "Red Mouth" Gebhardt (USA), Jantso Jokelin (Finland) and many others, topped the Estonian album charts in April – no small feat for a half-instrumental blues album. Anneli Kadakas is one of the most in-demand jazz and rock drummers in Estonia, having worked with artists such as Vennaskond, Rock Hotel, Rasta Orchestra, Eurovision winner Dave Benton's Latin Band and the Canadian blues harp virtuoso David Rotundo.

Root Art Records artist: Steve Lury & Andres Roots - Live In Lerwick - New Release Review

I just received the newest release, Live In Lerwick, from Steve Lury and Andres Roots and it's simply cool! This live performance was recorded at the Shetland Blues Festival in Lerwick in September of 2013. Opening with Jr. Wells' Tomorrow Night, Steve Lury handles vocal and harp and Andres Roots on slide guitar with Peeter Piik on bass. Next up is Sonny Boy Williamson's Born Blind. Roots is excellent on slide nicely balancing Lury's harp work. With a very stripped down approach but with modern amplification, the notes soar. On Tampa Red's Rambler's Blues they pick up the pace a bit and Lury really digs in for some great harp riffs. Roots original, Build Me A Statue, has a slow and somber pace. With Roots leading the way on a slide guitar melody and nice harmonizing on harp by Lury, this is one of my favorite tracks on the release. Very nice! On Robert Jr. Lockwood's Take A Little Walk With Me, Roots really winds out the slide, Elmore James style, with lead vocals by Lury. A hot harp solo in the track over a quickly accelerating rhythm guitar by Roots turns into a sliding foot race to the end. Excellent! On Charles Brown's Driftin' Blues, Lury plays a very nice intro prior to taking the lead on vocal. Gradually building from a quiet track to a very fat slide with harp track the dynamics are quite interesting. Next up is Robert Johnson's Walkin' Blues, and Roots again demonstrates his finesse on slide with super tone. Lury handles vocals and Piik the bass. Muddy Water's Gone To Main Street has a real Chicago feel with Lury leading the way on super harp. This track has super tempo and really gets your blood flowing. Roots picks up the slide work after the first chorus accented by Lury on harp. Then Lury on lead with accents by Roots. Lury wraps the track on vocals with Roots really sailing on slide. Super! Another Muddy Water's track, You Can't Lose What You Never Had, finds the addition of Paul Archibald on drums and a real feel of a Muddy Water's band, sans Water's voice. This band is tight. Roots uses the lowest octave for his early slide work which is contrary to Water's own style but very cool. Then taking the higher octaves, he makes his guitar absolutely sing. A nice open roll for Lury on harp is melodic and crisp. Very nice! Wrapping the release is Memphis Minnie's What's The Matter With The Mill with a driving "Messing With The Kid" style. Roots and Lury jam together on harp and slide for a cool ending to a real traditional blues concert.  

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Death Letter - LR PHOENIX & ANDRES ROOTS

Andres Roots is a Tallinn-born musician, songwriter, producer and journalist whose award-winning 2010 solo album "Roundabout" yielded the national #1 video hit "Redecoration Day". His songs enjoy airplay on five continents and – mainly as the guitarist and manager for Bullfrog Brown – he has appeared live in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Germany, France, the UK, Denmark and Finland, sharing stages with the likes of Honeyboy Edwards, Gurf Morlix and Havana Black. A full-time journalist in the 1990’s, Andres’ writings on music have been published in all major Estonian dailies, as well as blues webzines and mags in Finland, the UK and Germany.

L.R.Phoenix
North Carelian Lake Country Blues

A gypsy woman told my mother “You got a boy child comin’, he gonna be a son of a gun.”

“That’s nice,” she replied. “Aren’t you my midwife?”

“Yes, yes,” the gypsy replied. “I’m just doing this part time for the extra cash. Now your son he’s going to do great things with music.”

“Oh is he going to be rich and famous?”

“No. He’s going to play the blues.”

“Bugger,” my mother said with a little too much disappointment in her voice. “Well at least tell me he’s going to play something popular like Chicago blues...”

“Well.... he’s going to play like the old Mississippi Hill country players like Fred McDowell, Junior Kimbrough and R.L.Burnside.”

“Who?”

“Exactly.”

“Well, when should I tell him about his destiny?”

“Oh, never tell him. He must find his own way.” She looked away and said under her breath, “He’s also going to move from England and live in Finland.”

So after over 30 years of doing more than 50 different jobs, someone heard me playing the guitar and said you play like those Hill country players. I had no idea what he was on about, so he told me. And once I heard those old guys playing I knew I’d found my musical home. So now whatever I play, the ghosts of these people are not too far away.
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