Michael Van Merwyk – Blues Everywhere I Go
Timezone Records
9 songs time – 42:44
Just when I thought real heartfelt blues had gone the way of the dinosaur, along comes this blazing mountain of a man from of all places Germany putting out a mostly ferocious and raw brand of blues. Unbeknownst to me Michael Van Merwyk has been at the music game for forty years now. With his booming growly voice and sinuous slide he creates atmospheric magic. He also wrote all but one song and assistance with lyrics on one song. His crew includes another slide guitar guru in Abi Wallenstein along with harmonica wiz Marc Breitfelder. Buckle-up for a taste of blues genius.
The title tune “Blues Everywhere I Go” digs right in with hard charging blues energy bolstered by chugging harmonica and guitar, along with nifty jumping piano. Michael wraps it up with his slithering electric slide guitar. A percussive romp follows with the slide driven “I Never Really Thought About Evil”. A pounding bass drum intro kicks off the slow and menacing “Raise Your Voice”, that speaks to civic courage. His electric slide guitar conjures up a midnight stroll through a graveyard. Accompanied only by his sliding resonator guitar and backing vocals by Jennifer & Andreas Grove, he delivers a short but effective version of Cephas & Wiggins’ “Cool Down”.
Abi Wallenstein slides his way through “Abi’s Boogie”, stuff that would scare the devil out of the devil himself. The ghost of Bo Diddley makes an appearance with thundering drums on “All Because Of You”. Abi slides his way around this one as well. Harmonica clicks in with the insidious beat. Georg Schroeter’s piano boogies its’ way along with harmonica on the spitfire blues of “Bye Bye Blues”.
A mellow vibe is achieved on the upbeat “Feel Like Going On” with its’ lilting slide guitar. The recording is closed out on the opposite slow but menacing vibe of “Liars & Fools”. The meandering electric slide guitar and piano create the perfect mysterious atmospherics.
This is truly an affirmation that creativity and real raw blues can co-exist and deliver a soul-satisfying result. The lyrics are substantial without being cliche. On top of it all Michael Van Merwyk and Abi Wallenstein you get slide guitar from the hands of masters. The supporting musicians are up to the task of elevating this splendid blues recording. Any blues connoisseur needs this in their collection. Music like this deserves wider recognition.
