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REVIEWS FOR THE BADDEST BLUES BAND
(EVER!) Lichfield Guildhall -
8/11/09 West Midlands evening newspaper & The Express & Star, by John Watson Electric
blues can be one of the most exciting styles of music, especially when served
with a dash of jazz. Singer-guitarist
Alexis Korner (CORRECT) was a pioneering figure in
the style in this country, touring and recording with his star-studded band
Blues Incorporated in the 1960s. The Baddest Blues Band Ever, which appeared last night at
Lichfield, is a worthy heir to the movement started by Korner.
Included
in the line-up are the virtuoso bassist Malcolm Creese
– who is also a member of leading jazz trio Acoustic Triangle – and the very
fine organist Pete Whittaker. The Baddest Blues Band Ever also features the raunchy vocals
of Zoe Schwarz, the driving guitar of Rob Koral, the powerful blues harmonic player Si Genaro and rock-solid
drummer Dave Wallace. Last
night they delighted the Guildhall crowd with 12-bar classics and pieces such
as Mose Allison’s Stop This World. Another
highlight was an original by the band, Driving InThe
Rain. If
you missed the gig, their excellent new CD – entitled Breakout – is released
on the Audio-B label. Stormy Monday Blues at The
Bull's Head London - 15/9/08 Blues in Britain, by
Fran Leslie They
started up with an instrumental called 'Pebble In My Pond', while I was still
queuing for a drink but even from the bar you could hear they were good. Rob Koral, a
southpaw, is a skilled guitarist and his elegant guitar line cut through the
doors. Next up was a Mose Allison song, 'Stop This
World' featuring singer Zoe Schwarz, guitar and
keyboards and finishing on a harmonica blast from animated harp player Si Genaro, of the huge hoped
earrings. During the third number
‘Driving In The Rain’ written by Rob and Zoe. I noticed that the bass player and the
keyboard player were reading sheet music, the sign of a classy band. Zoe is a classically trained singer who has sung jazz for a while and
on this night was in blues shouter mode.
Her powerful vocals were to the fore on ‘I Cant
Quit You Babe’. Owing a fair bit to Robert Plant’s interpretation of Willie
Dixon’s song. ‘Heart
Break Tears’. Another Schwarz/Koral original
brought out the electric upright bass of Malcolm Creese. Most of the band’s material is original,
although Rob points out that ‘Too much of a Good Thing’ is heavily influenced
by John Lee Hooker. The encore,
though, was a roaring rendition of ‘Spoonful’, deservedly well received. Time Out Magazine "One of the finest guitar based blues and roots
acts in the world" SoundStorm, Dan Somogyi “The finest new blues band on the
British scene....? very possibly." ‘DRIVING
IN THE RAIN’ - Audio-B ABCD 5026 Blues Matters Issue 52 – January 2010 – Stuart A. Hamilton The
Baddest Blues Band (Ever!) – that’s
some claim! I’ve heard some shockingly bad blues bands in my time and was
even in one of them. Unless, of
course, they’re using the colonial hippity hop
patois, and bad is supposed to be good.
In which case, it’s an even bigger claim. Sadly, or fortunately, neither of these
claims is true. So, I’m just grateful
that they turn out to be a good Blues band, albeit not the ‘goodest’. They get
kudos for being a British Blues band putting out original material, mainly
written by vocalist Zoe Schwarz and guitarist Rob Koral,
something that is a bit of a rarity.
They’re better at sprightly numbers like ‘Broken Heart Blues’ and ‘Too
Much Of A Good Thing’ than they are at slow Blues, and they have put some
thought into the arrangements with splashes of Hammond organ, and the
harmonica embellishments of Si Genaro were always
welcome. The sound doesn’t really leap
out of the speakers. But they did lay down all fourteen tracks in tow
days, The more you play it, the more
you get drawn into their John Lee Hooker inspired ‘Im
In The Mood’, and the bouncy shuffle of ‘ let Me Sing The Blues’. They finish off with a live version of ‘ I Can’t Quit You Baby’, which rounds off what turned out
to be a good, if not the baddest album. Blues In Britain – December 2009 – Christian Sturgess Driving
In The Rain is the second CD from rock-fuelled blues six-piece The Baddest Blues Band (ever!), and they certainly present
this image well. The album, which features 15 tracks, for me brings back some
routes of blues music that I have not heard recently. The classic sound of a
rotary organ underneath a harmonica solo section can go a long way, not to
mention the solid rhythm section.
Songs such as ‘Driving In The Rain’ and ‘Buck’’ are strong evidence of
the bands ability to write classic bluesy tones and grooves, whilst ‘You’re
Not Alone’ is slower and more ballad like.
This kind of diversity in song writing adds more character to an
album, especially one so routed in the classic blues sound. This is a very well rounded album, which is
able to combine rock and blues elements with great guitar ability. You can really tell this band understand
each other, and perfectly complement the vocal talent of Zoë Schwarz who, in
the midst of their strong sound puts the perfect cherry on top. Rating:7 ‘BREAKOUT’ - Audio-B ABCD 5022 Blues Matters – October 2007
- Noggin
The Baddest
Blues Band (Ever!) are certainly not, as the name might suggest, the worst
blues band (ever): in fact they are superb, a thoroughly modern mix of jazz
and Blues, combining a sense of history with their own contemporary
influences. The band is based around the considerable talents of guitarist
Rob Koral who has a rock and blues background. The
second main person is smooth vocalist Zoe Schwarz who is a young classically
trained singer with a BA (hons.) from the Royal
Academy. To avoid any allegations of chick singer with others, producer and
bassist Malcolm Creese suggested an ensemble
approach and they recruited engineer / Hammond C3 / all round studio guy
Stephen Darrell Smith, whose delightful organ licks are layered all over this
project. The final touch was to add harmonica player Si Genaro,
whose flourishes give Blues authenticity to so many of these tunes. Talking
of tunes, 9 of the 14 have band input, from the autobiographical ‘The
Waitress’ based on making ends meet table waiting in Covent Garden, to the
poignant ‘Nothing Seems To Matter’, with just a whiff of Elkie
Brooks at her Bluesy best. The covers are not only wisely chosen, but are
indicative of their tastes and influences, for example a laid back version of
Ray Charles’ ‘Someday Baby’, a near perfect interpretation of Nina Simone’s
‘Do I Move You?’ and an aching take on Willie Dixon’s ‘I Can’t Quit You
Babe’. What is astonishing is that this recording took place in just two days
in a Hampshire studio, mostly first take, and with the ace-in-the-hole of
Schwarz pitch perfect vocals. To all fans of quality Blues / jazz this will
really appeal. Blues In Britain –
November 2007 - Frank Franklin
Breakout features fourteen
titles, swinging from the off, for over seventy minutes. There are four well-placed covers for those
who need something familiar to anchor them, in spite of the fact that all of
the original titles are well with whatever limits there might be of the
chosen
idiom. These are two Willie Dixon standards, and
two less obvious picks, one each for Mose Allison
and Nina Simone, whose ‘Do I Move You?’ is a notable
rendition. The
core band consists of Rob Koral on electric guitar;
Zoe Schwarz on vocals; and Malcolm Creese on double
bass. Hammond organ duties are split
50:50 by Mike Gorman and Stephen Darrell Smith; likewise Dave Wallace plays
drums on the same titles as Gorman and Paul Beavis plays drums on the same
titles as Smith. Si Genaro features on harmonica. His evasive bio-details most illustrious
point seems to be that he can burp the alphabet. Thankfully he managed to discipline himself
to keep this skill quite separate from his harpistry
during the times the tapes were running.
In fact his musical intelligence and skill belie his baser celebrated
party-piece: it’s certainly a good job he refrains from this exploit on his
excellent break during “It’s Alright To Be Blue” (Hawker/Koral). The
band members’ pedigrees include performing credits with an impressive galaxy
of jazz, rock, and pop artists including: Mullen, Bruford,
Tippett, Weller, Wellins,
Atzmon, Fame, Witherspoon, Daltry,
Lake, Laine, Shearing, Benson, Torme,
Allison, Sting, Williams, Essex, Fripp, and Fairweather-Low; the list could go on … and on … The
Baddest Blues Band (Ever!) is an accomplished group
of sophisticates playing jazzy blues; Zoe’s diction is a fraction too perfect
to be in the ‘dirty blues’ camp (some have said the same of Paul Jones, to
little effect). You’re more likely to
see these guys performing in Dean Street than Kingly Street. ‘The
Waitress’ (Schwarz/Koral) is a good example of the
writing quality and interpretation of the songs in this collection; Hammond
and guitar both display measured talent, and there’s little to choose between
who’s playing drums and Hammond, with the band’s sound remaining consistent
throughout the set. Rating: 7
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