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The Pat Fulgoni Blues Experience—Chocolate Fireguard
CFA CD 009

This is a meaty, no-nonsense release from Huddersfield’s Pat
Fulgoni, who has now recovered the blues momentum he’d
built prior to the pandemic and is to be found tearing it up at
gigs and festivals both locally and internationally. This release
is the follow-up to 2022’s widely acclaimed “Dark Side Of The
Blues (Pat Fulgoni Live In Prague)”.

Pat is an excellent singer and bandleader, with experience in
a wide range of fields, though here he is strictly in a blues bag.
If you need any convincing, lend an ear to the piano-
(immaculately played by Sam Bolt) and harp - (Crosscut Saw’s Alex Eden, who also mixed the
set) accompanied ‘Bleeding Heart’, try the out and out blues-rock of ‘Midnight Train’, or maybe
opt for a slice of pure Albert King blues with the opening ‘Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven’.

Albert’s licks crop up again, courtesy of young guitarist Jacob Beckwith, on the original ‘Keep
The Blues Alive’ , whilst Gil Scott-Heron’s ‘Lady Day And John Coltrane’ has a cool, hip 60s soul
and 70s jazz approach, and an excellent, spikey guitar break. Note too the backing of Rory Wells
and Zebedee Sylvester on bass and drums respectively. T-Bone Walker’s ‘Confusion Blues’ has
a strong late 60s feel, ‘Thrill Is Gone’ is reworked extremely soufully, and ‘Stickin The Knife In

Blues’ makes for a slow and impressive straight blues conclusion.
This is a class album all the way, though one which also maintains the grit necessary for good
blues. A very fine band, a top-notch vocalist and leader, and some excellent material make this

a real winner.

Norman Darwen

(www.patfulgoni.bandcamp.com/)

Onus Blues—My Lonely Blues—No Fear

There’s some fine blues and blues-rock on this set from this
five-piece band, formed only last year and out of Radlin in
southern Poland. Let me state now that Krzysztof
Wyrzykowski sings in English throughout. They can turn in a
heavy slab of rock-influenced sounds on a track like ‘Day After
Day’ with an energetic break by guitarist Sylwiusz
Krakowczyk, or ease into a fine shuffle with ‘How Many Times’,
with harp player Jacek Szula blowing away in fine fashion - as
he does throughout - over the sterling work of the rhythm
section of Nikodem Piekut (drums) and Roman Szonowski
(bass).

Their influences seem to include the likes of Led Zeppelin (take a careful listen to the title track,
a very fine slow blues), a bit of Walter Trout, and Essex boys Doctor Feelgood, plus a hint of
classic rock - listen to the guitar break on ‘Life, Stumble And Fall’. ‘Seven Days’ is a straight-
forward blues performance with a boogie tinge, and there are hints of vintage Fleetwood Mac
and southern rock to ‘You Gotta’, whilst the closer, ‘In A Dark Place’, has a jazzy tinge.

Four tracks that appeared on last year’s EP release are reprised here, but even if you have that,
note that this is a different line-up, though the frontmen remain the same. There are a further