Pepe Ahlqvist & Jukka Gustavson – Stovall, Coahoma – A Tribute to Eddie Boyd
Bluelight Records – 2024
11 tracks; 49 minutes
With their latest album, Stovall, Coahoma, A Tribute to Eddie Boyd (2024), Pepe Ahlqvist and Jukka Gustavson breathe new life into the work of Chicago pianist and singer-songwriter Eddie Boyd, offering a range of fresh interpretations.
Boyd, originally hailing from the Delta, moved to Chicago in 1941, before moving to Europe in the 60’s to escape racial discrimination, eventually settling in Helsinki, Finland in the early 1970’s, and residing there til his death. It is fitting, therefore, that the Finnish pair of Gustavson on keyboard and Ahlqvist on guitar and harmonica honor Boyd’s legacy.
The fourth track on the album, “I Cried”, is one of the strongest, and funkiest. Tangible melancholy pours through as the instruments work in tandem; organ, keys, bass, and guitar create a meshed tapestry of sound, and a special harmonica solo is full of wallowing, reflecting the sting and pain of being left described in the lyrics. Gustavson sings, “My baby said I made her cry for so many years. Now she’s gone and left me, and you see me shedding tears. I just cried. Cried cried cried,” lamenting on his behavior that led his lover to leave him.
In tackling “Five Long Years”, the postwar blues standard covered by several blues greats, including Buddy Guy, and Boyd’s most popular tune, Ahlqvist and Gustavson provide a refreshing, soulful rendition. Moody piano opens the track, accented by splashes of electric guitar as Ahlqvist sings “Have you ever been mistreated? Then you know just what I’m talkin’ about,” smoky and soulful. His voice sounds on the verge of breaking down, like the strain of a man put down after being married to a woman for five years. Tasteful bursts of blues-laden piano from Gustavson traverse the piano and deliver both rhythm and melody, in a fine show of piano work.
“The Blues is Here to Stay” is a high-tempo blues rocker; a jolly, good energy tune affirming the genre of blues. The electric organ noisily opens up the track, followed bya howling electric guitar. Hammond A 100 organ blankets the track, sliding into the open spaces, with funk and soul. Ahlqvist croons, “I play the blues with a feeling. Nothing but the blues” and Ahlqvist plays Chicago-style blues guitar solos with pomp and vigour.
A slow, waltz-like introduction opens up “Let it Be Me”, with an off-kilter beat and bursts of hot harmonica. Between a recurring, hypnotic piano melody, Gustavson sings, “If you ever think about getting married, baby, to any man… let it be me.” The patient, persistent plea lasts the duration of the song, as the singer falls to his knees.
Fast, precise piano, spreading across the keys, opens up “Backslack”, demonstrating Gustavson’s prowess. Gnarly bass line and guitar help create a solid, multi-layered shuffle rhythm, and the band begins to jam, clearly having fun with the track.
10 of the 11 tracks on the album are covers of Eddie Boyd’s original compositions. Gustavson and Ahlqvist’s sole original song, “Stovall, Coahoma”, opens up the record and serves as a tribute to Boyd, who was born in Stovall, Mississippi, near Clarksdale, in Coahoma County. The region, also home to Muddy Waters, is often seen as a cradle of Delta Blues. A tasty, funky intro opens the track, with haunting guitar and bass lines, as Ahlqvist sings about racial discrimination and “hard-hitting blues”.
“Reap What You Sow” comes across as overly polished, with a gaudy guitar solo, weak vocals, and a lack of soul. Straying from the blues, it almost takes on the character of Yacht Rock and Steely Dan.
While “Nothin’” boasts a solid harmonica solo, it also contains a bad organ solo, a cheesy romantic monologue to start, and an emphasis on sentimentality, without gumption or backbone.
Cliche, kumbaya lyrics permeate “Brotherhood”, which employs dainty, delicate keys and poor vocals.
While the vocals falter again on “Praise to Helsinki”, a solid funky beat emerges out of the organ, guitar, bass, and drums. The song describes the “warmhearted people” in the city where Boyd felt comfortable and made his home in the last years of his life. Boyd wrote, “I’m going back to Helsinki. I’m going to make that place my home.”
While Stovall, Coahoma may have its uneven moments, it stands as a fitting tribute to Eddie Boyd, capturing the spirit of the blues and paying homage to a pioneering musician whose journey from the Delta to Europe shaped the genre’s global reach. At its best, the music offers funky, soulful, and refreshing takes on some of Boyd’s best compositions.
