Blues Blast Magazine Album Review: Eric Bibb and North Country Far with Danny Thompson – The Happiest Man in the World

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This CD review was originally published in the October 6, 2016 edition of Blues Blast Magazine. Be sure to check out the rest of the magazine at www.bluesblastmagazine.com

Eric Bibb and North Country Far with Danny Thompson – The Happiest Man in the World

Stony Plain Records

www.ericbibb.com

www.stonyplainrecords.com

14 tracks / 52:35

The Happiest Man in the World is a cool title for an album, and if you had a musical career like Eric Bibb’s you would probably be happy too! For this project Eric teamed up with English double bassist Danny Thompson and a few fine Finnish fellows from North Country Far, and the end result is 14 tracks of cool folk/country tunes with a tasty blues flavor.

In case you are not familiar with the man, Eric Bibb was born in the Big Apple where he took up the guitar early, joining his father’s show while he was still a teenager. His serious devotion to his musical career resulted in a relocation to Paris (and later Sweden), and from his home base in Europe he has been touring the world with his band ever since. Along the way he cut three dozen of his own albums, and he has made countless guest appearances on others’ discs, earning serious credibility and a Grammy nomination.

The musicians on Bibb’s latest CD are some of his friends from Finland, including Olli Haavisto on guitars, his brother Janne Haavista on drums, and Petri Hakala on mandolin, mandola, fiddle, and guitar. The aforementioned Danny Thompson also joined in, while Eric laid down the vocals tracks, the lead guitar lines, and the banjo parts. The studio sessions took place at The Grange near Norfolk, England, with Dave Williams behind the recording console.

The fourteen songs on The Happiest Man in the World are mostly originals, and there is an overwhelmingly positive feel to the songs, which are mostly love songs with an overwhelmingly personal vibe. The band kicks things off with the title track and the folk sound is right up front with a clearly picked banjo, thumpy upright bass and a well-played slide guitar. The lyrics are an ode to woman who is there for her man, and Bibb has a nicely aged timbre to his voice that brings the whole thing together.

Positive spins on relationships fill most of this set, making it a bit different than the usual blues fodder of deception, infidelity, and heartbreak. There is the story of a lady who does not mind taking the wheel (“Toolin’ Down the Road”), a suggestive list of agricultural chores (‘I’ll Farm For You”), the joy of making a life together (“Creole Café”), and the destiny of true love (“Born to Be your Man”). But there are a few elements of darkness to be found, such as country blues of “Tossin’ an’ Turnin’,” the thoughts of a man who is getting ready to lose everything and move on to greener pastures.

The originals are good, but there are a few surprises tucked away in the playlist. One of these is the traditional “Tell Ol’ Bill” which has a lush sound and lovely backing vocals from Ulrika Ponten Bibb. Then there is a funky acoustic take of The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me,” complete with extra guitar work from Michael Jerome Browne and harp courtesy of Pepe Ahlquist; this is hands-down the best cover of this tune since Van Halen re-did it in 1978.

The Happiest Man in the World is a cool album, with good songs, fine musicianship, and solid production values. Eric Bibb and his friends should be proud of what they have put together, as they have managed to create something a little different than what other blues artists are producing today -- check it out for yourself, and see what you think. You have missed your chance to see him in the U.S. this year as Eric is touring Europe until the December, but we can hope that he schedules another tour of the states sometime soon!

Blues Blast Magazine Album Review: Dr. Helander – Country Boy

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This CD review was originally published in the April 14, 2016 edition of Blues Blast Magazine. Be sure to check out the rest of the magazine at www.bluesblastmagazine.com

Dr. Helander – Country Boy

Bluelight Records

12 tracks / 45:59

When is the last time you heard a blues album from Finland? Well, Country Boy from “Dr.” Ilkka Helander is a rare set from the land of a thousand lakes, and it is a fine collection of hard-hitting classic acoustic blues. The Dr. has previously released three albums of mostly original electric blues, so this unplugged album is a big departure from his proven methods as it has ten covers and only two originals. But, apparently this man knows the blues in all of its forms, and this disc really clicks.

For this project, Helander sings and provides the most of the acoustic guitar parts, and Mika Railo joins him on double bass for many of the tracks with Topi Kurki behind the drum kit on four songs. There are also a few outstanding guest artists, as you will soon see.

The Muddy Waters-penned title track is up first, which features none other than Grammy winner Charlie Musselwhite on harmonica, and Esa Kuloniemi on slide guitar. “Country Boy” is an awesome song to start with, and this crew does this slow blues jam justice with Muselwhite leading the way along with the doctor’s hearty vocals. In case you were wondering, the vocals are all in English, with appropriate inflections and a touch of gravelly Midwest twang.

If you like Muddy Waters, there is one other tune from his Folk Singer album on this disc, “My Home is in the Delta.” Like many of the other songs on this release the instrumentation is kept to the minimum, this time with just Helander’s acoustic guitar and Railo’s stand-up bass. He dials things back even further with Son House’s “Walking Blues,” with only his voice and dobro. Mr. Helander has a nice touch and feel on the six-string, and he does a pretty mean job with his slide on this one.

There is also a pair of neat Junior Wells tracks to be found on Country Boy: “Good Morning Little Schoolgirl” and “Hoodoo Man Blues,” both of which feature Little Willie Mehto on the harp. His style is a little more laid back than Musselwhite’s, which allows Helander’s voice to take the front of the stage and he does a marvelous job of howling out these tried-and-true lyrics.

A standout track on this disc is Charley Patton’s “Green River Blues” which has quite a bit going for it. Kurki lays down a slick up-tempo drum rhythm that meshes well with a walking bass line provided by Railo. Also, Kuloniemi’s mandolin is a cool counterpoint to Helander’s well-picked guitar. Of course, it also helps that this is just an incredible song that was written by a blues master.

There are plenty of other cool classic blues covers to be found here, including “Mean Old Frisco” by Big Boy Crudup, Lightnin’ Hopkins’ “Hello, Central, Give Me 209,” and Little Walter’s “Just a Feeling.” But as wonderful as these songs are, there is one song that is a little outside the box, and that would be Mike Bloomfield’s “Hey Foreman.” This is probably the newest of the covers (from the mid-1970s), and its original folk blues would have seemed a little out of place if Helander copied it exactly. But he re-worked it with slide guitar from Olli Haavisto, making it a little more Delta than Bloomfield’s version. It works, and it integrates seamlessly with the rest of the songs on the CD.

Helander and Kuloniemi wrote one of the two original tracks on the album, and “$100 Bills” fits right in with the rest of the set. This tune has a driving roadhouse beat with Musselwhite adding his harmonica and Kuloniemi picking his mandolin. This is a very well written track, and is the standout track on the album. The other original, “Big Cold Beer,” also cuts the mustard with its jaunty guitar leads and witty lyrics. Hopefully we can get a full album of original blues from Helander, as he certainly has the writing chops to pull it off.

Dr. Helander did an impressive job with his first acoustic blues album, and Country Boy is a winner. It is a cool history of the blues greats, played with respect and talent, and it is not a record you will listen to once and put away. Check it out for yourself, and also take a listen to his catalog of original electric blues if you get the chance. This fellow is the real deal!