Wentus Blues Band – Family Meeting
Blues isn’t just an American thing, it’s actually very popular in Scandinavia, where there’s a burgeoning scene.
One of those at the forefront of this ‘Nordic Blues’ movement is Finland’s Wentus Blues Band.
They’ve been going for 22-years, although I must confess that until I’d heard this double CD, they’d passed me on by.
A hard-working band in the best blues tradition they regularly do over 150 gigs a year, and this is their seventh album.
This CD is actually a bit of a milestone album in blues history. Every music fan recalls The Band’s ‘The Last Waltz’ album and film, back in the seventies, which set the tone for open house-type celebrity blues opuses. Since then, the likes of John Mayall and Eric Clapton have developed the ‘Let’s invite our celeb muso mates’ blues jam events.
For this double CD ‘Family Meeting’ this six-piece band have invited some of the blues genre’s most celebrated performers along to be part of the live concert and subsequent film of the occasion.
Artistes of the calibre of Barrence Whitfield, Louisiana Red, Lazy Lester, Mick Taylor, Omar Dykes, Kim Wilson, Eddie Kirkland and Eric Bibb join Wentus Blues Band at various times for this 23-track blues extravaganza.
The style is more laid-back Ry Cooder than in-your-face Joe Bonamassa.
A nice album, which I’d award 7/10.
Tracklisting:
Disc One: Going to the show, Moonshine, You gonna make me cry, Since I been loving you, I got to go, Passenger blues, Pick up the pieces, Lonesome fugitive, Angel Blues, Stop twistin’ my arm, Can’t you hear me knocking.
Disc Two: I heard the angels sing, Down the line, Looking for trouble, Hold that note, Annie-lee, Blind willie mctell, Backroom delta, Ride on red, Ventilator blues, Raining in my heart, Biscuit roller, Grand finale.
