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can’t help but admire the way she’s changed her sound with every album - they’re

all based in blues but with slightly different slants.

Graham Harrison

B.B. And the Blues Shacks—Lonesome in the Moon-
light—Rhythm Bomb RBR-6018
(www.bluesshacks.de)

This set opens with the lovely Texas shuffle of Chick
Morris’s ‘I Go To Bed With A Worry’, with plenty of ring-

ing electric guitar in classic fashion by Andres Arlt (who
also sings wonderfully throughout) – a great opener. But
then this German band have long enjoyed a strong repu-

tation as one of Europe’s finest blues outfits and they
once again live up to that with this album.

They are one of the few outfits on this side of the pond that can compete with the
California bands that emerged in the 80s and 90s and have been so influential since.
They can tackle Sam Cooke flavoured R’n’B (‘Big Blue Diamonds’), a Louis Prima

styled jump blues with ‘I Told My Eyes’, soul music with ‘Steppin’ Stone’, the Stax era
Albert King tinged blues of ‘Dead Notes’ and ‘Heart Fixin’ Business’ – I nearly forgot
to mention the fine horns to be heard here and in a few other places too - or the

ballad stylings of ‘Long, Long Time’. There are even some rocking Cajun sounds with
‘Feed The Flame’ – think Johnnie Allen, plus a hot harmonica break, and kudos to the
band’s accordionist and otherwise keyboards man Fabian Fritz.

Not a track here is anything less than impressive. So yes, this is indeed another
winner from Andreas and his crew.

Norman Darwen

Various Artists—Jingle All the Way—Blue Heart

BHR053

This is a lovely release with a festive theme that also made

me realise the musical breadth of the label’s artists.
Stylistically it ranges from Lil’ Red & The Rooster’s fairly

straight, sultry cover of ‘Santa Baby’ to Clarence Spady
with the funky blues of ‘Christmas’, from Benny Turner

with the blues of ‘I Want Some Christmas Cheer’ (with
some rather unexpected lyrics) to the short instrumental

of Tomislav Goluban’s ‘Amazing Grace II’, and from Laura Tate’s version of the