Jack White Showing His True Colours

With The White Stripes musical genius Jack White stepped into the spot lights. With The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather he already proved there's a lot more than just that duo. It's obvious this man is chuck full of ideas and is a musical carnivore. But only now he's releasing a solo album. First thing on any one's mind: what would it sound like when he's not restricted to a band's format?

Jack White - Blunderbuss (Ronald Says 9 out of 10)

Somehow we knew that we could expect something good. But the song that preceded the record 'Love Interruption' didn't show anything extraordinary. It actually sounded really normal: an easy going country song. Fortunately this is just one of the many faces this record is showing. Jack White is using most of the spectrum available to him. Instead of choosing one direction he knows how to combine them and mend them together into one steaming album.

Yet it doesn't result in a wild mix of ideas. He knows how to keep it coherent since every song unmistakably bears his signature. From the swinging album opener 'Missing Pieces' to the hard rocking 'Sixteen Saltines', from the piano driven R&B song 'Trash Tongue Talker' to the psychedelic 'Take Me With You When You Go'. This record is giving you the best of everything. White is showing he doesn't need a band format to excel. He seems to feel comfortable in any environment. True genius will always reveal itself.

Listen to 'Blunderbuss' on Spotify.

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Blaudzun's Enchantment

Photo courtesy of Mark Minkman

Singer Blaudzun released a great new album earlier this year. Heavy Flowers is filled with beautiful songs and a rich variety. For the Indiestad festival which is spread over several locations of Amsterdam, he was performing in a church. For some one who grew up in a religious environment like him, this promised to be a special experience.

Blaudzun at De Duif Amsterdam, May 14 2012

Photo courtesy of Nynke Sietsma

Right from the start he's using the not every day stage to its full extent. Singing 'Wolf's Behind The Glass' from the church's pulpit all by himself, without mic or other amplification, his voice sounds vulnerable but also strong at the same time. It's ringing through the big high church hall. The band starts playing while he's making his way to the stage. It was supposed to be an acoustic set but this is not really the case.



The band isn't playing in an average band setup though. Violin, cello, banjo are just some of the instruments used. It's not so weird that some of his songs are sometimes reminding of Arcade Fire. The band are playing fine but are never really excelling. It's Blaudzun who's making the difference. His voice and appearance are remarkable. He has become more relaxed on stage over the years. This makes his performance comfortable to watch.



'Flame In My Head', that appears early in the set, is even making people clap their hands to the beat. As an encore all band members gather at the front of the stage for a special version of 'Blindspot'. By this time everyone here tonight already is convinced: Blaudzun is a unique artist.

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Setlist:
01. Wolf's Behind the Glass
02. She's a Gentleman
03. Another Ghost Rocket
04. Monday
05. German Girls
06. Flame on my Head
07. Who Took the Wheel
08. We Both Know
09. Streetcorner
10. Heavy Flowers
11. Midnight Room
12. Sunshine Parade
13. The Choking Game
14. Solar
Encore
15. Blindspot
16. Elephants
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A Day In Ghana With Ebo Taylor

The 76 year old Ebo Taylor from Ghana was almost forgotten. Despite an impressive career and extensive catalogue he became a name from the past. A rich past, since Taylor has been around for many years. In those years he worked with many top musicians. Fela Kuti probably is the most famous one among them. Fortunately the record label Strut noticed that the guitar player still has plenty of creativity and energy and released his album Love and Death world wide in 2010. This brought the attention back for Taylor and now he is considered a living legend.

Ebo Taylor - Appia Kwa Bridge (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
With Appia Kwa Bridge he is showing that he totally earns that title. The record is full of typical afrobeat, funk and highlife songs. Many African celebrities like Tony Allen, one of the founders of the afrobeat, and Oghene Kologbo, guitar player of Africa '70, contributed to the album. Afrobeat is the dominant style here without getting boring. Mostly they are cheerful songs, richly arranged and sometimes intimate as well. The album takes you to the colourful homeland of Taylor where he's taking you on a day trip.

Cheerfully we start the day with 'Ayesama'. Slowly the sun is climbing higher and the temperature rising with 'Nsu Na Kwan'. We're swinging along with 'Kruman Dey' after lunch, while we're opening the first cold refreshments of the day. Then the night is falling, but after dinner we continue dancing with Taylor in his birth place Saltpond. There we can find the small 'Appia Kwa Bridge' where it's time for reflection. Taylor is sitting down on the bridge and starts playing the heartbreaking 'Barrima' for his diseased wife.

The original sounding album is just as cheerful and friendly as the Ghanaian people. When you close your eyes you can see them dancing to the music. You smell the scent of wood fire with roasted chicken and can almost taste the palm wine. The sun is burning on your skin and you're feeling intense happiness. It doesn't matter any more what kind of weather it will be. With Appia Kwa Bridge you're bringing home the sun once and for all. We should thank Strut they prevented that we would forget about this great guitar player with his great songs and music.

This review has been published on ROAR E-Zine in Dutch over here.

Listen to 'Appia Kwa Bridge' on Spotify.

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