Eddie Kold Band feat. Larry “Doc” Watkins – Blues In My Heart
L+R Records
13 songs – 55 minutes
Eddie Kold is a German blues guitarist, now based in Cologne, but who spent much of the 1980s and 1990s learning his craft in the bars of Chicago, playing with the likes of Vance Kelly, Buddy Scott, L.V. Banks, Zora Young and Buster Benton. His new album, Blues In My Heart, is a fine example of modern Chicago-style blues, with a bucket-load of fabulous guitar playing.
The Eddie Kold Band features Larry “Doc” Watkins on vocals, Klaus Brunschede on bass, Christian Wübben on drums and Lukas Diehl on piano/keyboards. They are joined by a variety of guests on the album, including L.P. Davenport on vocals on “Further On Up The Road”, Honeydew Melon Davenport on vocals on “Last Two Dollars”, the always-great Tom Holland on guitar on two tracks (his playing on the aforementioned “Last Two Dollars” is sublime), Terho Keskitapio on guitar on “Blues In My Heart” and Trina Williams on backing vocals on two songs. Watkins, originally from West Virginia, is an excellent vocalist, with a raw, gritty delivery that is reminiscent of the great Finis Tasby at times. It also feels like this is a band that has spent a lot of time playing together in a live setting. There is a confidence in and an easy mastery of the dynamics of each song.
Kold wrote or co-wrote the vast majority of the tracks on Blues In My Heart, with two covers: Bobby Blue Bland’s “Further On Up The Road” (played in a fast, funky style rather than the classic shuffle of the original) and George Jackson’s “Last Two Dollars.” He is also a superb guitarist, laying down a series of powerful, muscular yet melodic solos and licks, never over-playing and always playing to the song. On a track like “My Whole World Shook” he cleverly steps every so slightly outside the traditional blues scales most guitar players would use on a shuffle, adding just a hint of jazz sensibility. Likewise, in the instrumental, “Backpain”, Kold’s jazzy approach offers a fresh take on a swinging blues progression. Elsewhere, his clean, soulful tone is pure blues.
Blues In My Heart runs the full gamut of classic Chicago blues styles, from the funky “Last Two Dollars” to the swinging shuffle of “Girls” (which contains a superb piano solo from Diehl), the soul-infused “Lipstick On Your Bra”, and the slow grind of “Lovesick Blues”.
Recorded and edited by Diehl and Brian Leach, Blues In My Heart is an enjoyable slice of modern Chicago-style blues and definitely worth investigating.
