Lightning Red's BLUES FAMILY

Zoffingen, Switzerland June 28 2010

BELGIUM
The shuffles and grooves from the guitar of Lightning Red and his raw way of singing the blues, combined with the moving gospel and blues vocals from LZ Love and the joyous harp playing of Sonnyboy are creating a unique ‘Blues Family’-sound. You’d better be there in 2012 when they are coming back to perform several shows in Europe.

- Rootstime http://www.rootstime.be/CD%20REVIEUW/2011/NOV1/CD125.html

GERMANY
Lightnin’ Red’s Blues Family. Very traditional album, yet very strong emotionally, and well performed. It gets to you once you get over this ‘Who needs another classic blues album’ attitude. Very good band, LZ is a strong, emotional singer. Loved it, especially the acoustic tracks at the end – Blues performances hardly get better!
- Home Of Rock http://www.home-of-rock.de/CD-Reviews3/Blues_Family/International_Blues_Family.html

BELGIUM
Picture at an early age lightnin’ red (vocals and guitar) had already tackled the bluesmicrobe. Red was born in the vicinity of Chicago and mentored by Luther Allison, influenced by Buddy Guy, Otis Rush, B.B. and Albert King…and early on he had his first guitar in hand. After a tour through the Midwest and Canada, Red was drawn around 1976 to Austin Texas. LZ Love toured internationally with Luther Vandross, Joan Armatrading and Mary Wells and sang in the studio with Michael Franti and Tommy Castro. With LZ Love on vocals on this release, it is a nice blues moment.
- Philip Verhaege Keys & Chords http://www.keysandchords.com/6/post/2011/12/international-blues-family-same.html

NETHERLANDS
THE INTERNATIONAL BLUES FAMILY is a band made up of musicians whom are coming from all over the world, USA, Germany and Croatia to be exact. They recorded an album together, which musically speaking of course is Bluesrock, with raw soulful female vocals of LZ LOVE and even rawer male vocals of guitarist LIGHTNIN’ RED. Quality stuff, although strictly recommended to the fans of pure bluesrock. (Points: 7.7 out of 10)
- Krimpen Aan Den Dlijsself http://www.strutter.8m.com/

BELGIUM
LZ Love en Lightnin’ Red hadden het idee opgevat een tour te doen in Europa. Muzikale begeleiding moest er zijn en ze hebben die gevonden in muzikanten uit Duitsland en Croatië. En zie je hebt een international Blues Family. Van die optredens werd er een opname gemaakt, en het resultaat hiervan ligt dus nu in mijn cd-speler. Behalve de geweldige shuffles en grooves die Red ons schenkt zingt hij ook op een vijftal nummers, maar de stem van LZ Love klinkt gewoon beter. Ik ben altijd blij als de bluesharp mee een hoofdrol mag spelen, en Sonnyboy weet perfect de sound aan te vullen. We krijgen 14 songs van een hoog gehalte. De bedoeling is dat LZ Love en Lightnin’ Red ook volgend jaar zo’n tour door Europa doen. Hopelijk zijn ze dan dicht genoeg in de buurt om zelf een optreden mee te pikken. (JePe)
- Beale Street http://www.bealestreet.be/Versie2/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=508&Itemid=532

- rough translation -
LZ Love and Lightnin’ Red had the idea of proposing a tour to do in Europe. Musical guidance had been there and they have been found in musicians from Germany and Croatia, and see you have an international blues family. Of those actions, there was a recording made, and the result is therefore now in my CD player. In addition to the tremendous shuffles and grooves they do, Red also sings five numbers, but the voice of LZ Love simply sounds better. - Babylon 9

USA
Good recording of the tunes... My favorite track is "Stand For Something." Good packaging, clean sound...and taseful...
– reggae legend Tony Brown,
the KILLER BEES

SWEDEN
Blues family borde sovra blues/soul
Lightnin’ Red kommer från Austin, Texas och har stått på scen i ett halvsekel. Han är en pigg veteran, vilket det här projektet med vokalisten LZ Love visar. Det rör sig om ett lyckat samarbete som nu resulterat i en fullmatad cd med rum för skiftande stilar. Tillsammans med ett duktigt band kastar sig kärnduon mellan blues, soul, funk och rock. Det mesta känns pulserande och spontant, och en fin livekänsla är alltid där. Attityden värmer. Variation finns alltså på flera vis, särskilt som sångmikrofonen effektfullt roterar mellan Lightnin’ Red och LZ Love. Särskilt originellt blir det ändå inte, och vissa nummer löper i nötta spår; det har gjorts förut, bättre eller sämre. Lite skarpare sovring hade inte skadat.
- Noje & Kultur Magazine http://hallandsposten.se/nojekultur/recensioner/skivrecensioner/1.1499210-blues-family-borde-sovra

- rough translation -
Lightnin 'Red is from Austin, Texas and has been entertaining us for half a century. He is a spirited veteran, as this project with vocalist LZ Love shows. This is a successful partnership that has now resulted in a packed CD with room for diverse styles. Together with a talented band throws itself core duo of blues, soul, funk and rock. Most feel vibrant and spontaneous, and a nice live feel is always there. The attitude heats. Variation is there in many ways, especially as [in the] striking vocal microphone rotation of Lightnin 'Red, LZ Love. Very original…

SWEDEN
Bluesfamilj med internationell prägling
När de sköna artisterna – med den ännu skönare namnen LZ Love och Lightnin Red’ – turnerade i europa 2010 tillsammans med bakgrundsmusiker från Kroatien och Tyskland uppstod gemensamt tycke. De bestämde sig för att bilda en bluesfamilj av mer internationell prägel och även om Tyskland, USA och Kroatien inte direkt bidrar med världsmusikaliska egensinnigheter kan denna kvintett få till ett gott stabilt bluessväng. Bra sånginsatser och kompetenta musiker som ibland får mig att tänka på det gamla bandet Resurrection Band (Rez) även om Blues Family inte traskar över i hårdrocksland. Hela femton låtar av klart godkänt snitt. 3 stars of 5
- IKON Magazine, 24 January 2012, Publicerad 20 januari 2012 kl 21:47 av Roger Bengtsson

http://ikon1931.se/recensioner/bluesfamilj-med-internationell-pragling

- rough translation -
IKON Magazine
When the fine artists - with the even more beautiful names LZ Love and Lightnin 'Red - toured Europe in 2010 along with background music[ians] from Croatia and Germany [it] came together piece. They decided to form a blue[s] family of more international character, and although Germany, USA and Croatia do not directly contribute to the global musical wayward drives, this quintet have [has] a good stable blues swing. Good vocal work and skilled musician[s] who sometimes makes me think of the old band Resurrection Band (Rez), although the Blues Family [does] not trudge over the hard-rock country. The entire fifteen tracks of course [we] approved the cuts.

CROATIA
Kada sam u 80. emisiji BLUES ZA VAS emitiranoj 11. listopada prošle godine pustio pjesmu Stand For Something, uz razgovor s našim poznatim harpistom Krešom Oremušom, dobio sam i ekskluzivnu najavu izlaska albuma International Blues Family istoimenog benda. Evo, prošla su samo 2 mjeseca, a album International Blues Family našao se u mojim uredajima, upravo zahvaljujuci Kreši. Duboko sam uvjeren da je ovo prvo predstavljanje ovog albuma na prostorima Hrvatske i na to sam neobicno ponosan.

Ovaj bed spojio je Sjedinjene Americke Države – Njemacku i Hrvatsku. Iza pseudonima SonnyBoy krije se Krešo Oremuš, koji se pridružio fenomenalnoj ekipi glazbenika koje predvode zadivljujuca vokalistica LZ Love (vokal & udaraljke) i odlican glazbenik, sjajan pjevac i briljantan gitarista iz Austina Lightnin' Red. Pored njih, tu je još i osebujna ritam sekcija: basistica Nerea Rudic i Tom Diewock na bubnjevima.

Album International Blues Family nudi nam 15 pjesama, koje ce Vas svojim aranžmanima, izuzetnom ekspresivnošcu i snagom ostaviti bez teksta. Album International Blues Family, istoimenog benda, odlican je primjer da je blues, da je glazba, internacionalni jezik kojeg itekako razumiju oni koji su u duboko u njemu. Taj i takav blues u potpunosti nosi sve one elemente sadržane u prebogatoj baštini tradicionalnog bluesa. On je takav da mu nije potrebna nikakva pomoc, on ne sadrži nikakve zapreke, takav blues je stvaran i živ. No, da bi ga se izvodilo potrebno je imati 'ono nešto'. Istina je da blues ima svoju ljestvicu, svoje zakonitosti, svoju nepredvidljivost, smisao za humor i nepresušnu ironiju. I jednostavno ne mogu vjerovati kada netko kaže da mu je blues jednolican i da je sve to isto. Koji promašaj, koja bezvezna izjava. Blues je toliko nadahnut, osebujan, neobican i atraktivan da to za "boljeti".

Album International Blues Family od prve teme Big Time, doslovno vrši sve jaci i veci atak na vaša osjetila, tako da uvijek negdje na pola albuma moram zastati i onda ili krecem ispocetka ili nastavljam dalje, a upravo kod vec spominjane Stand For Something cijela prica ide još dalje, 'one more step deep down south'. No, kada sam vec kod toga, vec u drugoj temi Don't Have To Worry Lightninova gitara doslovno isijava 'blue notes' i nema predaha uz profinjeni vokal LZ Love dolazimo do Dancin' With The Blues, koja svojim smirajem opija cijelo vaše bice. Sjajne linije, filigranska gitara i profinjene harpisticke dionice, cine ovu pjesmu oglednim primjerkom za razne top ljestvice diljem brojnih specijaliziranih radijskih emisija. Cavern Crawl …wow …Krešo znao sam da si dobar, ali ovo je toliko jako i snažno, ovo je ono što ja zovem 'top of the tops'. Fenomenalna ritam sekcija Nerea duboki naklon do poda …wow svaka cast…nevjerojatni instrumental! Biser No.1.!

Netko mi je rekao da je blues ono što cujemo samo prvi ton, a trnci idu uz kralješnicu Let The Spirit je skladba za to: nepredvidljiva igra vokala - gitare - usnjaka uz pumpajucu ritam sekciju! Nakon smirujuce i intrigantne Hard To Have The Blues dolazi nam razigrana Stand For Something, wow! Biser No.2.!!!

A onda potop odlazimo 'deep down south' Devil In You - Biser No.3.!! Što reci, što napisati kada tijelom prolaze svima poznati nepregledni valovi ugode koji samo naviru i ponovo dolaze. I opet sjajni pasaži usnjaka, kojim tako suvereno vlada Krešo ili bolje mu pristaje SonnyBoy. A onda opet jedan instrumental South Austin Shuffle, bravo ljudi!

Jazzy obojena Shoulda Listened jasno pokazuje da ovom bendu ništa nije prepreka i da u svemu plivaju ko' riba u vodi. I opet Krešo briljira i svemu daje onu posebnu, bluesy obojenu komponentu koja cini mi se ovom albumu daje izvrsnost!

Slijedi Biser No.4!! Change Is Gonna Come gitara – vokali preko koljena smo ugazili u mulj Delte Mississippija i tonemo i dalje, a nama sve bolje i bolje. Da ne vjeruješ!

Prekrasna balada Been Lonely LZ Love ponovo duboki naklon do zemlje. Pred nama je Biser No.5 !! I još jednom LZ Love fantasticna vokalna izvedba uz osjecajnu akusticnu pratnju nadahnutog Lightnin' Reda. Zatim slijedi Backyard Boogie - Biser No.6!! Nepredvidljivi i izuzetni gitaristicki uradak Lightnin' Reda. SJAJNO!!

Iz pjesme u pjesmu došli smo do zadnje pjesme na izvrsnom albumu International Blues Family istoimenog benda. Zadnja pjesma nosi naziv Trials u dvije minute i 18 sekundi, ponovo se moramo pokloniti LZ Love i njenom baršunastom vokalu od kojeg vam se doslovno ledi krv u žilama. I naravno, to je Biser No.7!!

PREPORUKA:

Album International Blues Family sniman je u Hrvatskoj i Njemackoj, glazbenici u bendu izuzetno se dobro razumiju i svaki je u svom dijelu doprinio izuzetno puno. Sami glazbenici u studiju, a još više zajedno na 'stageu', nedvojbeno pokazuju da se izmedu njih razvija neka magicna kemija, i bez obzira na sve, carolija se nevjerojatno brzo razvija i postaje itekako stvarna. Baš zbog svega toga, ovaj album je reprezentativni primjerak, kako se cijela ta blues furka razvija munjevitom brzinom, ali jednako tako cini mi se da onaj spontani dio bio je glavna prevaga, da se ovi sjajni glazbenici okupe i jednostavno zajedno zasviraju. Rezultat? IZVRSTAN!!

Nadam se da ce i naše distributerske kuce što prije prepoznati svu kvalitetu i slušljivost albuma International Blues Family istoimenog benda i da ce ovaj album ubrzo postati nezaobilazni dio vaše fonoteke. Do tada slušajte emisiju BLUES ZA VAS radija Križevci, gdje ce biti vrlo skoro ekskluzivna promocija izvrsnog albuma International Blues Family.

-- SoundGuardian http://www.soundguardian.com/content/view/21515/53

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