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Charlie has put a lot of thought into this carefully-crafted and very satisfying release. Do try to

check it out.

Norman Darwen
(www.charlieslavik.com)

Tomas Doncker—Wherever You Go—True Groove Records

Tomas kicks off with a powerhouse reworking of Blind Willie
Johnson’s spiritual, ‘I’m Gonna Run To The City Of Refuge’ that
sounds like a subtle updating of Ike & Tina Turner’s late 60s style,
a very appropriate plea for a place of safety to open a set recorded
entirely in lockdown. Singer/ guitarist/ bandleader Tomas was
kicking his heels in Brooklyn when he should have been touring in

Europe; as a result this album was recorded across eight different
time zones, with individual musicians, mostly in Europe, adding
their own parts separately, though not that you’d ever guess
(Tomas is styled as “a pioneer of the Global Soul Network”).

The album’s other cover song is a lazy sounding, urbanized version of Skip James’ ‘Hard Times
Killing Floor Blues’ which, somewhat surprisingly, manages to keep some of the feel of the original.
The remainder of the tracks are originals. The title track is an impassioned slow number with a big,
big sound, a very bluesy ballad rather than a slow blues as such, though ‘Come Sunday’ is a very
fine slow R’n’B ballad .

‘Have Mercy Baby’ is a bluesy number with some contemporary touches and a fine blues-rock guitar

break at the end. ‘Change’ has something of a classic soul feel to the arrangement, a catchy, beat-y
number with a particularly fine vocal, ‘Drown In Blue’ combines blues, soul and street sounds and
features some chirpy blues harp, and the final number, ‘Door To The Dome’ is a slow, broodingly
atmospheric blues-rock piece.

Tomas has a distinctive and individual approach to his music. It demands closer listening than some
modern blues, but it can be just as – or perhaps even a little more - rewarding.

Norman Darwen
(www.tomasdoncker.net)

Brigitte Purdy—Memphis Hotline—Independent

Born and raised in Los Angeles, singer Brigitte has here a
wonderfully powerful example of her skills in singing the blues
with soul - the music that she grew up with. She has sung backing
vocals for both The Who and Paul Rodgers, but she follows up her

well-received album, “Still I Rise”, with this single, a cracking,
romping Stax-styled up tempo blues, with a fine organ-led backing
by Dave Shinning and guitarist Dave Osti given free rein to play