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start the line up has been the same for over fifteen years. They started as an acoustic blues/rock
cover band but before long the roots & blues music and producing original material took over.
This is Micke’s twelfth album and it’s a cracker. Eleven tracks of outstanding musicianship from
Micke and his band Blue Strip.

Micke once said ”When we started this band in the beginning of nineties we never, in our wildest
dreams, would have thought that we would still be rolling after more than a quarter of century on
the road. Through the years our music has taken us to so many cool places, from Tokyo to New
Orleans, and all the way to world’s northernmost blues festival in Svalbard” Well, this one is going
to take him even further,

There are some stunningly good tunes here. Check out ‘Good Times Somehow’ a real stomper
with some outstanding driving bass work ‘Highway, Highway’, a catchy melody which is the first
single from the album—a big sound, likely to reach well beyond the boundaries of Northern
Europe.

Ian K. McKenzie

The Bluesland Horn Band—Six—Bluesland

Horns and me…well, I don’t know. I just love ‘em. And here is a
storming, stomping eight piece from Canada. This is their sixth
album, so no more explanation of the title needed.

The band specialise in blues-based music infused with soul/jazz,
funk, gospel, western swing all the way to mid-60's R&B and as their
blurbs say, ‘This is Dance Music”.

This one was largely written (all songs by Terry Medd) during the
pandemic. The opener is ‘My Old Truck’ a straight 12 bar blues with
a driving tuba bass and a picked mandolin solo. It reminds me of
Taj Mahal and the Phantom Blues Band of about twenty years ago. This is REAL blues. No wonder
Buddy Guy praised the band.

The next up is ‘Creole Queen’ a funky bit of N’Orlins with, of course, a rhumba beat and the rousing
horns again. ‘Alley Shuffle’ is just that with a fabulous arrangement and some stonking bass work
by Pan Sciore. By contrast ‘Holy Water’ is a gospel tinged masterpiece sung by Marty Cochrane
with a lovely solo from guitarist (and producer) Terry Medd.

This album is just stunningly good. Ten tracks of sheer delight. Get it now and let’s bring the
Bluesland Horn Band to world domination!

Ian K McKenzie