Canadian artist Dave Goodman’s new cD, “No Rest For The Wicked” pays hommage to his musical roots as well as his cultural roots.
With four songs from Jimi Hendrix, one from Turlough O'Carolan, one from Frederic Weatherly and five of his own, Goodman takes the listener on a journey through his north American past, his european roots and into his musical present. In his own unique style he bridges and blends his influences, but still there is no mistaking his wide, Americana atmosphere, and always his deep Blues feeling.

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Master guitarist, composer and singer Dave Goodman teams up with harmonica maestro Steve Baker to create a heady mix of country rock, acoustic funk, blues and folk which exudes a powerful identity all of its own and yet defies stylistic definition. Goodman’s sophisticated and exceptionally versatile work on both acoustic and electric guitar and his inspired songwriting meet their perfect foil with Baker’s tasteful, arrestingly original harmonica parts. The combination has clearly born fruit and on “The Wine Dark Sea”, both artists deliver what is arguably their finest work to date. It is rare that this level of instrumental expertise is combined with great songs, great vocals and state of the art production, but Goodman and Baker have clearly succeeded in pulling this off with a vengeance.

Both protagonists have long enjoyed a fruitful association with Acoustic Music Records. Dave Goodman’s last solo CD “Side Of The Road” received excellent reviews and cemented his burgeoning reputation as a virtuoso instrumentalist and highly talented songwriter. He is also a regular contributor to Acoustic Player and works closely with Peter Finger on numerous workshops and concert appearances. Steve Baker has been on AMR since the mid 1990s, releasing four highly acclaimed CDs with the late great singer/guitarist Chris Jones as well as “King Kazoo” with Dick Bird. On “The Wine Dark Sea”, Goodman & Baker are brilliantly supported by Martin Röttger on drums and cajon and Oliver Spanuth on drums. The CD also includes guest appearances by Big Daddy Wilson, Hanna Lunnon and Kolja Heins.

With “The Wine Dark Sea”, Dave Goodman and Steve Baker have created a work which transcends genre while remaining inherently consistent from beginning to end. Beautiful production and great songs, masterfully orchestrated, vocally and lyrically totally convincing.

 

 

This Regensburg native has played his way up to an outstanding reputation as a well-versed connoisseur of American roots music. It's what Willie Salomon demonstrates once again on “Let Your Light Shine”. He uses the 16 tracks to interpret blues classics by Josh White, Blind Willie and Charley Patton in a highly entertaining manner. He also breathes new life into some almost forgotten traditionals. He intones the Rolling Stones hit “As Tears Go By” as a cool slide-guitar number. And with his own compositions, like the “Delta Groove”, he creates a bridge to current topics. “Music from the heart, played on old instruments,” is Salomon's credo this time round. What's new is that Salomon adds other, brilliant daubs of sound to “Let Your Light Shine”, with a piano, a harmonica and the support of mandolin player Bert Deivert. It's a genuine reference work for friends of acoustic guitar music, and it lets the immortal light of the blues to radiate even more brightly.

“I’ll keep playing the blues, until I’m down in my grave,” Willie Salomon sings in “Back On The Road” - and you can believe every word of this artist, who comes from Straubing. Hardly anyone here in Germany can play American blues and roots music in a more authentic manner than this self-taught musician, who has evolved into a genuine master of the guitar. He mixes the influences of Louisiana Red, Mississippi John Hurt and Robert Johnson skillfully with elements from swing, ragtime, gospel and folk. On “Just In Time”, he convinces the listener with his sensitive playing, his captivating phrases and fascinating grooves and pays homage to American guitar music from the 1920s to the 1940s. Willie Solomon plays these pieces in fingerstyle, coloring them with his earthy slide work and uses a calm voice to sing out stories that could only be blues. A great album. Or to quote “Back On The Road” again: “Willie’s Blues ain’t bad!”

In the early seventies seventeen-year-old Woody Mann faces a nearly unbelievable opportunity: he is asked to back up Delta-Blues-legend Eddi “Son” House on the guitar during a studio session. The maestro himself doesn’t feel like playing, he prefers just to sing. What a challenge for the young student of Reverend Gary Davis! Only short time later the events repeat, just with a changed cast. British singer Jo Ann Kelly, she became famous during the British blues revival, relies on Mann’s guitar playing. Fourteen rare tracks resulting from those recording sessions are finally accessible for all blues fans on “Been Here and Gone”, some of the tracks are released for the very first time. “Been Here and Gone” is, no doubt about it, an impressive blues record offering two outstandig vocalists and - notwithstanding his youth - an amazingly brilliant Woody Mann who, moreover, adds seven brand new songs as, what we may refer to, “interludes”.

Singer and guitarist Willie Salomon has devoted himself to the blues and has an authentic and virtuosic approach to playing them. Willie is the “Great German Bluesman”, who conjures rough sounds from his vintage guitar and celebrates the pre-war blues repertoire in a relaxed and loving style. The point is not “nostalgia”, but rather his passion for acoustic “old-time fingerpicking”. “Country, Blues & More” reveals the formidable abilities of this blues songster, who has complete command of slide and ragtime, as well as Delta blues and country pickings. Willie Salomon is no doubt the most authentic German acoustic blues guitarist, with impressive fidelity to style, be that on the 12-string, the resonator guitar, or on one of his many vintage Gibsons.

 

The 15 cuts, penned mostly by Biber Herrmann, reveal this outstanding guitarist as an eloquent song poet, whose works have the kind of depth and raw truths that really gets under your skin.

“Rainbow Walker” follows a clear acoustical recipe. A large amount of excellent solo performances, in which Herrmann fills out the entire space alone using just a guitar, his voice, a harmonica and foot stomping.

Yet it is more than merely an acoustic album. Herrmann has gathered a league of international musicians around himself and demonstrates that he can cross sectors with a steady hand and also has total command of the “band” genre.
One clever touch on “Rainbow Walker” is the gathering of stars from the acoustic scene. Werner Lämmerhirt, Peter Finger and songwriting legend David Munyon all meet up here and put the icing on the cake.

 

Eleven brand new songs from the pen of this articulate song poet and top guitarist Biber Hermann describe a cosmos of emotion that could hardly be any more intense. He expounds on love, passion, suffering and happiness with much depth, and also of the unconditional drive to follow one's own dreams and visions. In the process, Herrmann focuses on the political and social stage as well, and voices a clear opinion about war, environmental policies, terrorism, or sexual abuse. Even when addressing human and concrete topics, as a Zen student he manages to introduce a spiritual backdrop. Starting from his musical roots, the blues, this multifaceted and passionate string magician develops unorthodox open tunings that imbue his bluesy songs with a very personal sound. He picks, slides and hammers, both when playing solo, or with a band. Ask Biber Hermann what he calls his musical style, he answers with a glint: "European blue folk".

In the course of the last ten years, singer/songwriter and guitar virtuoso Chris Jones and harp maestro Steve Baker have released three critically acclaimed CDs together on Acoustic Music Records. Their fourth outing "Gotta Look Up" offers an exciting collection of new songs and presents the duo in top form both musically and lyrically. Jones' and Baker's music has never been easy to classify. It ignores the constraints of stylistic boundaries and is beyond conventional categories, combining elements from rock, blues, folk and funk into a highly individual fusion which touches the heart, body and soul of the listener. On "Gotta LookUp", Jones' and Baker's almost telepathic interplay is perfectly complemented by Martin Röttger on cajon and percussion. Whether on fast songs or slow ballads, the music bubbles with energy and is compellingly authentic. The expressive original compositions are straight out of real life and are clearly not based on hearsay. They tell of love both lost and found, of lust for life, the pain of loss, distilled out of personal experience, as uncompromising and powerful as the melodies themselves. Quality never goes out of style.

With refreshing directness and dynamic intensity, the live recording “Smoke and Noise“ captures the concentrated energy which one of the finest and most original blues duos performing today puts over on stage. Guitarist/singer Chris Jones and harp virtuoso Steve Baker need no introduction to blues lovers - through countless concerts these two exceptional musicians have won the hearts of a growing number of fans and garnered enthusiastic press reports along the way. The combination of Jones’ expressive vocals and unmistakable picking style with Baker’s uniquely recognizable harmonica sound creates its own category of musical energy. Earthy, soulful and skillfully crafted acoustic music of the highest quality – “Smoke and Noise“ is a masterly fusion of traditional blues, rock&roll, songs, ballads and acoustic funk which defies classification.