Blues News New Zealand
06 feb.2007

By Mike Garner

Wee Wee Baby; Mister Loving Good; What is Wrong with You; Lonesome Woman Blues;
The Blues Is a Feeling; Whoo Wee; Last Two Dollars; Strolling With Bone; Jealous Woman; T-Bone Shuffle.

We reviewed an earlier CD from Denmark's leading bluesman, Dan Klarskov. And enjoyed it a lot. This latest offering features the band in a live recording and comes with a bonus DVD in a beautifully produced package.

This is laid back jazzy blues with a lot of class. Tasteful horns and rich Hammond B3 underpin Klarskov's subtle guitar playing. He uses a clean tone that is more jazzy than a Texas blues style, perhaps closest to a T Bone Walker style, and, indeed, he covers two T-bone songs on this album. He leaves plenty of room for his sidemen to step out, and the keys and horn players get plenty of exposure. Pianist Hans Knudson gets to stomp through some fine boogie woogie during Sonny Terry's "Whoo Wee". This song and a couple of others appeared on Klarskov's previous studio album.

Klarskov does some originals, "What is Wrong with You" and "The Blues Is a Feeling" and they fit well into the genre. The covers are well chosen and range across Jo Turner, George Jackson and T-Bone Walker. Economical in phrasing, Klarskov never really 'rips it up' on guitar and the playing feels a little restrained in places, but the audience are clearly having a ball. The DVD is a bonus, and features 4 of the songs from the live recording plus some additional footage.

Blues News New Zealand