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draw in grab your favourite tipple and immerse yourself in this album, you will not be disap-
    pointed.


    Ged Wilson


                                        Oliver  Darling—Lee’s  Blues—Another  Planet  Music  APM
                                        R010)

                                        (www.anotherplanetmusic.net)

                                        Oliver Darling is a British singer and guitarist who has worked
                                        with the likes of Mike Sanchez, Geraint Watkins, Imelda May and
                                        other  members  of  the  UK  blues  scene,  as  well  as  artists  from
                                        outside blues confines. Although he does work as a  solo artist, he
                                        has been employed as guitarist for Imelda May since 2015.

                                        This  is  his  debut  solo  album,  it  opens  with  a  fine  guitar
                                        instrumental  (the  title  track),  with  shades  of  Big  Bill  Broonzy
    (even more overt on ‘Glory Of Love’), which is a fine introduction to this nicely varied set. A raw
    cover of Skip James’ eerie ‘Devil Got My Woman’ is next up (with fine blues harp by Rollo Markee),
    and Robert Johnson is obviously another influence to judge from ‘Don’t Think That I’m Crazy
    Anymore’. Other tracks conjure up Muddy Waters – the tough, band-accompanied ‘Got Love’ –

    and Bo Diddley (‘Honey Bee’),
    The second half of the album tends a little more towards Americana, but still remains very bluesy

    – try ‘She’s My Baby’ for a rather fine example. There is even a Davy Graham styled closer, and
    throughout the album, do listen to the vocals which are spot-on. Worth checking out.

    Norman Darwen
                                        Voodoo Ramble—Can’t Write a Pop Song (When You’ve Got
                                        the Blues)—Thoroughbred Music

                                        (www.voodooramble.com)

                                        This  is  a  varied  album  from  this  Croatian  four-piece  rock  and
                                        blues-rock band under the leadership of singer and guitarist Boris
                                        Dugi-Novack a.k.a. Zamba. An all-original set, seven of the eleven
                                        tracks feature English lyrics by promoter Pete Feenstra; there’s
                                        also one instrumental and the remainder are also sung in English.

                                        Yes, this is an eclectic album, ranging stylistically from ‘I Know
                                        It’s You’ with its very strong echoes (no pun intended) of mid-70s
    Pink Floyd to the Americana of ‘Down Home’. Then there is the Rolling Stones/ Southern rock
    style of the opening number, ‘Born On The Road’, the catchy title track, some tough, riffing
    blues-rock with both ‘Too Bad For Heaven, Too Good For Hell’ and ‘Man In Doubt’, the mellow-ish
    instrumental of ‘Always On The Run’, some classic rock, and perhaps a little surprisingly, the
    sublime, Curtis Mayfield & The Impressions styled, ‘Out Of This World’, beautifully sung by Ivana

    Galic, with wonderful horns and an exemplary concise guitar solo.
    A couple of radio edits finish off this entertaining set. And it would indeed be good to hear any
    of these coming over the airwaves. We can live in hope!


    Norman Darwen
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