Knock-Out Greg & The Blue Flames – Serves Me Right To Suffer
Rhythm Bomb Records
10 songs time – 35:41
Blues, Rhythm & Blues, Roots Music, Americana and more from the Scandanavian band Knock-Out Greg & The Blue Flames. Greger Andersson leads the pack on vocals, harmonica and occasional guitar. The Blue Flames are more than up to the task of supporting him. Guitarist Tom Leino and keyboard man Fredrik Humlin flesh out the sound under Greger’s able harmonica and hearty vocals. Marcus Andersson on drums and Jaska Prepula on electric and acoustic bass are a tight rhythm section.
Charlie Rich’s “Midnite Blues” has a rich (no pun intended) and bouncy groove, accented by Leino’s guitar and female background vocals. We initially hear Greger’s harmonica on the title track “Serves Me Right To Suffer”, penned by the late Jimmy Dawkins. The band cooks up a comfortable shuffle on “More Than Meets The Eye”. Harmonica and honky tonk piano work hand-in-hand. They deliver a rhythm and blues infused version of the Eric Bibb ballad “Same Well”.
The Tom Leino composed “Suprovox Mood” is a harmonica-based instrumental that shows off Greger’s stuff. Tom unleashes a rockabilly styled solo. The intro and subsequent riff of “Bad Mouthing” borrows heavily from “Good Morning Little School Girl”. Fats Domino’s “Whiskey Heaven” is curiously, basically a country song. The harmonica attains the sound of an accordion on “When The Birds Begin To Sing”. Fredrik pounds the bejesus out of the keys here.
An infectious cool groove is applied to “Stay Away From Love”. Harmonica is fantastic as usual. They finish things up with the old school jump blues of “Tight Skirts.
It never ceases to amaze me how these bands from Europe assimilate authentic Rythm & Blues and blues sounds without coming off as dated. This is a surefire keeper. Do yourself a favor blues fans and snap this one up.
