Blue Groove artists: Hans Theessink & Terry Evans - True & Blue - New Release review

I just received the newest release, True & Blue, from Hans Theessink  & Terry Evans and it handles the roots of blues with modern sophistication. Opening with Demons, an easy paced country blues, Theessink leads the way on vocal with light harmonies by Evans. Traditional, Mother Earth, has a more soulful delta feel with excellent acoustic guitar work. Both Theessink and Evans work the lead vocals as well as harmonies. Very smooth guitar solos on this track make it one of my favorites. Fast paced Glory of Love is a great finger picked number with smoothly blended vocals. Gotta Keep Movin' features nice acoustic slide work and Evans on lead vocals. Very nice! Vicksburg Is My Home, a slow 12 bar number, again features Evans on lead vocals. This is a very traditional style track and very effective. Ledbelly's Bourgeois Blues, done a long time ago again by Ry Cooder is another of my favorites. A great strut feel and aggressive slide work coupled by Theessink on harp make this track a standout! Don't Let The Green Grass Fool You is a story telling track with a lesson. Low key vocals and the contrast of finger picked guitar with harp and slide make this track a crowd favorite. Aggressive slide work opens Robert Johnson's Cross Road Blues featuring Evans on lead vocals. Solid almost rowdy vocals and diligent slide work are hot! Chuck Berry's Maybellene keeps it's original pace by delivered with a country acoustic flair. Theessink and Evans really get the crowd tuned up on this track with extensive guitar work. Very nice! Theessink opens Delta Time with a harp solo and his solid vocal work. Evans on rhythm guitar and backing vocal rounds out the track. Evans takes the lead on J.B. Lenoir's, Talk To Your Daughter and it has a nice boogie feel. Stinging guitar solos on this track and warm vocal blending give it a different feel altogether from other covers that I've heard. Quiet ballad, Shelter From The Storm featuring Theessink on lead vocal has an almost spiritual feel. Boogie track, I Need Money, opens with a rockin guitar rhythm and Theessink on harp. Evans and Theessink trade lead vocal parts as well as slick guitar riffs. back to a country blues for the closer, Tears Are Rolling has a great pace with hot finger picking and Evans trading lead vocals with Theessink. This performance was recorded live in Vienna and the crowd obviously loved it.

 If you want to listen to the blues, but want to keep the level down and the intensity up, this could be your first choice. “Like” Bman’s Facebook page. I use Facebook to spread the word about my blog (Now with translation in over 50 languages). I will not hit you with 50 posts a day. I will not relay senseless nonsense. I use it only to draw attention to some of the key posts on my blog each day. In this way I can get out the word on new talent, venues and blues happenings! - click Here Get Facebook support for your favorite band or venue - click HERE

 

Blue Groove artist: Hans Theessink - Wishing Well - New release Review

I have just received the newest release, Wishing Well, from Hans Theessink. A totally acoustic effort from Theessink, he performs originals as well as covering tracks by Townes van Zandt, Brownie McGhee and Bob Dylan. Theessink has a very warm voice and an clean picking style which is well demonstrated on Wishing Well which also includes complimentary slide work. A favorite of mine, Wayfaring Stranger is handled very nicely with a nice balance between guitar, vocals and backing steel. A Piedmont style track,Take Your Picture, has a bit of a quicker tempo sounding quite a bit like John Hartford. Make shift instrumentals are a nice addition to an authentic country blues track. Traditional track Make Me Down A Pallet On Your Floor, still highlighting Theessink vocals has very tight instrumental components such as acoustic, slide guitar and mandolin coming forward like jems. A particularly nice version of Alberta Let You Hair Hang Down, again with a country blues twist is nicely balanced and clean. Kathmandu has tablas percussion to set off the quiet melodic track. Ballad of Hollis Brown is handled in an interesting manner with Dave Pearlman creating very eerie tones on his pedal steel. Didn't We Try gets into the blues rock vein almost like Midnight Special. This is the fastest tempo track on the release and another of my favorites. The recording is concluded with Early In The Morning which is a great acoustic country blues track. all of the instruments are allowed to come forward with plucky guitar, mandolin and Theessink on vocal and rhythm. This is a cool recording and one that you can kick back and enjoy when you want to relax.

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”