Thorbjorn Risager & The Black Tornado – Come On In | Album Review

Thorbjorn Risager & The Black Tornado – Come On In

www.risager.info

Ruf Records

10 songs time – 42:07

An exotic vocal delivery, European vibes, acoustic and electric guitars, unusual horn arrangements, funkiness, a touch of blues and who knows what else from this fascinating ensemble from Denmark. Thorbjorn Risager & The Black Tornado are destined to be household names if you can pronounce it. Thorbjorn provides lead vocals, guitar, wrote or co-wrote the songs and had a hand in production. The Black Tornado ably handles everything else. With more than one thousand concerts in twenty-one different countries this band has surely paid their dues with interest.

With a bit of an accent, a touch of haunting echo and tone Thorbjorn’s vocal on “Come On In” achieves an otherworldly quality that set on a persistent bed of percussion is simply mesmerizing. The horns deliver a laid back sound. “Last Train” is enveloped by electric slide guitar intermingled with acoustic guitar delivering some hoodoo blues. The children that perished in the Mediterranean are addressed in “Nobody But The Moon” in poignant fashion. They attain an European vibe abetted by a vibrant horn section.

Spooky electric slide guitar contributes to the atmospherics of “Two Lovers”. A commanding acoustic guitar riff combined with ever present percussion and slinky slide breath life into “Never Givin’ In” along with subtle horns. “Sin City” is a low down modern gritty slice of blues, one of the most soul felt vocals on the album, with mournful horns closing it out. This bunch can handle it all, “Over The Hill” is a tough horn and guitar driven jump blues number.

A fabulous “clicky” guitar riff over tender Wurlitzer piano support the way soulful vocal on “On And On”. Rapid fire lyrics are spewed out in the break neck of “Love So Fine”. The horn section, guitars, piano and the vocal are full blast ahead. Acoustic guitar and acoustic and electric slide vie for attention on the down home styled blues “I’ll Be Gone”. An appropriate sentiment to rap things up.

This is the kind of music that makes this reviewing gig more than worthwhile. Honestly strong soulful vocals set to well conceived music. Lyrics, delivery, production is all here in top notch form. Roots, blues, funk, soul all merge to create a unique take by using various elements to reveal something wonderful that just had to exist. If you like music that is real, I won’t say you need to scoop this one up. You must pick it up.

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