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Boogie Beasts—Blues From Jupiter—Juke Joint 500 ASIN :
B0BCNKKTHS

Boogie Beasts are a Belgian blues band who had been together
for 10 years in 2021 and to celebrate this milestone as it was
during Lookdown they had a live stream on Facebook recorded
at the Jupiter Studios (hence the title). The band was then
approached by Reinhard Holstein owner of Juke Joint 500 who
suggested releasing the session as an album and this is the album,
now available on CD and vinyl. It consists of 11 blues covers from
artists like John Lee Hooker, Howlin’ Wolf and Son House and the band is Jan Jaspers (guitar,
vocals), Patrick Louis (guitar, vocals), Fabian Bennardo (harmonica) and Gert Servaes (drums).

We begin with a down and dirty version of Muddy Waters’ ‘Still a Fool’ then it’s a similar version
of Sleepy John Estes’ ‘Someday Baby Blues’ with Fabian’s harp being particularly distorted —
reminding me of Will Wilde. ‘France Chance’ is a song by Joe Callicot, also recorded by Ry Cooder,
but here speeded up and driven by Fabian’s harp over the top of hypnotic guitars and drums,
there is more trance style blues on Robert Belfour’s ‘Pushin' My Luck’ and Hooker’s ‘Boogie
Chillun’ and also R. L. Burnside’s ‘Long Haired Doney’. ‘Grinnin' in Your Face’ is a cover of a Son
House song in much the same style but both Howlin’ Wolf’s ‘Who’ll Be Next’ and Willie Cobbs’

‘You Don’t Love Me’ blast out with riffing guitars and harp and pounding drums and are tight as
a duck’s arse. I’m not the world’s biggest fan of trance blues but these guys do it really well and
this album sounds great and really authentic - if you’re a fan of the Black Keys give them a go.

Graham Harrison

Luke Winslow-King—If These Walls Could Talk—Ghost River
Records

Luke is originally from Michigan but began his recording career
in New Orleans, however he’s now returned to Michigan, this his
seventh album was produced by Dominic Davis (Jack White,
Mississippi Allstars) and recorded in Memphis and features Luke’s
long-time collaborator Italian slide guitar maestro Roberto Luti.
We begin with the melodic ‘Slow Sunday June’ with the
Sensational Barnes Brothers adding their vocal harmonies and
Roberto adding a concise but perfect slide solo. ‘Honeycomb’ is
a funky mid-tempo song and ‘Jessie’s Love Song’ ups the pace with
another killer slide solo from Roberto. We slow down again with the soulful ballad ‘Don’t Tell
Me I Don’t Love You’ and ‘Lissa’s Song’ is a brooding acoustic tribute to the late New Orleans
street musician Lissa Driscoll, with a poignant slide solo.

‘Watch Me Change’ is a chugging blues with churning insistent guitars and ‘Winds of Aragon’

starts off gently with melodic accordion but then builds up with Stones-style guitar riffing. ‘Have
a Ball’ is even more intense a driving rock blues with a biting electric slide solo and then ‘Love
at First Sight’ is another soulful ballad with Memphis legend Rev. Charles Hodges on organ. We
bow out with the beautiful, languid ‘Leaves Turn Brown’ with its restrained guitars and organ
and more backup vocals from Chris and Courtney Barnes, which together with the slide guitar