Voodoo Ramble – Live: Made in the UK
Independent
11 Tracks – 40, minutes
Voodoo Ramble is led by singer – songwriter and guitarist Boris Dugi-Novack Zamba from Croatia. The band has previously won the Croation Challenge contest, which let them play in the 2014 International Blues Challenge in Memphis and the European Blues Challenge in Tuscany, Italy. As the band’s music has been recognized as being similar to British Blues, Oz Cahill contacted Boris with the idea of recording an album in the UK. With Boris’ agreement, Oz organized and coordinated the whole event which was recorded at The Media Department of Weston-Super-Mare College. The session was recorded by staff and students at the college in front of a small crowd.
In addition to Boris, the band consists of Iain Ecclestone on guitar, Ed Gerlach on bass, Josh Armittage on drums with Hannah Bartlett and Felicity Dickson Boardman on backing vocals. This is Voodoo Ramble’s fifth album, which consists of eleven original songs.
The band comes out rocking as he tells her, “Baby, I’ve Been Loving You” since the day I was born.” and says “I know we can make it, I hope you do to. I told you I’m sorry. What else can I do?” “Midnight Ride” has a bit of southern rock in the mix as he tells “Stumbled on your steps to knock on your door. Shiver and shaking all night long, sailing at the break of dawn. Look to the moon for a change in the tide. We made our escape on a midnight ride”. “Cold Hearted Woman” has a great guitar lead and kick back into a rock ‘n’ roll rhythm with a call and response. “You are going to do time in a prison of your mind” as he determines “You are a cold-hearted woman, and you are making a fool out of me.”
“Good Mood” is an instrumental that continues in the manner of old school rock ‘n’ roll”. On “Home”, he “approaches an old man sitting by the side of the road, so many stories he’s been told. So, I ask him, mister, tell me what you saw. He said, son, home is in your heart.” “That is the only place where you belong. And if you look deep down in your heart, you will find a place that you call home.” “Little Blues Queen” returns to southern rock. “I’m driving down to Memphis town. Going to play me some music when the sun goes down. Going to find me a woman when I get the chance. Spin it for a late romance.”
On “Bye, Bye Baby” the band rocks out as he declares “I don’t really need you anymore.” “You used to make me feel crazy, but now I’m okay. So, bye-bye baby”. He says, “My baby gonna jump that “Midnight Train”. So good to know she is finally coming home.” Hannah and Felicity provide the backing vocals to the song. On “Street Livin'”, he declares that the life is “Breaking my soul. Street livin’ is having a toll. ” “Easy women, easy money, always cloudy, never sunny.”
He tells, “The Smell of Money” is “What drove her far away.” “She’s the queen of the rally, always smells so good. One smell of her perfume and you’re down the road’ She poured me a whiskey, I felt so strong.” “I kept on drinking, but then she was gone”. The album closes on a high note with some solo drumming kicking off the song as he identifies that he is “Too Bad for Heaven, Too Good for Hell”.
While a few songs cross over into southern rock, most fit squarely in the British rock scene in the seventies. Easy matches can be found in the era’s bands like Deep Purple, David Coverdale, and Free among others. Boris’ vocals are clear and fits easily into that rock realm. The guitars soar with solid drum and bass driving the beat. A talented throwback to the music of an earlier era.
