Kai Strauss - Night Shift

Size: 124.3 MB
Time: 53:24
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2022
Styles: Blues Electric Blues, Blues Rock
Art: Front

01. Stand Strong Together (5:04)
02. The Future And The Past (5:41)
03. I Done Got Over You (4:46)
04. Bottom Of The Barrel (4:00)
05. Storming In Chicago (3:44)
06. Bad Loser (4:33)
07. Ride With Me (3:17)
08. Icebound (5:36)
09. You Sure Drive A Hard Bargain (4:09)
10. It Ain't Where You Been (4:59)
11. Night Shift Blues (7:30)

After well over 25 years on the scene Kai Strauss is no longer "just another guitar player from Europe". First as musical mastermind in Memo Gonzalez' Bluescasters and later under his own name, Kai has built himself a reputation of a purveyor of authentic blues traditions. He gets his inspirations from all the great players and does not restrict himself to just one type of blues. His versatility does not get in the way from consistency in style and quality. And after receiving many awards for his previous releases we dare say that "Night Shift" is yet another step up in his already impressive body of work.

Kai Strauss is a subtle and sophisticated bluesman who has it all-he can deliver a lyric vocally, create an interesting and unusually structured blues song, and he plays very "grown up" guitar. He is one of those guitar players who understands what the important notes are, and chooses to tell an emotional story with his solos, rather than just filling up the songs with lots of unnecessary notes. Kai's new album, "Night Shift" features two guest appearances by one of the blues fastest-rising stars-Chicago's Toronzo Cannon. Toronzo had great fun recording these vocals and solos, because of how interesting and unusual Kai's arrangements were. Clearly, the two guitarists inspired each other. It's a pleasure to listen to them together.

Night Shift MP3
Night Shift FLAC

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Kai Strauss - In My Prime

Size: 127,1 MB
Time: 54:36
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2020
Styles: Electric Blues
Art: Front

01. Going To London (6:06)
02. In My Prime (4:45)
03. Guest In The House Of The Blues (4:35)
04. Keep Your Happy Home (5:29)
05. You're Killing My Love (4:16)
06. Down On Bended Knee (5:31)
07. World Crisis Blues (3:50)
08. Betting My Life On The Blues (4:04)
09. Put That Bottle Down (5:14)
10. A Day Late And A Dollar Short (4:22)
11. Wait A Minute Baby (6:19)

Kai Strauss has been a well-known name among European Blues lovers since the early nineties. Now, at the age of 50, the guitar player and singer releases his sixth album on the Dutch CRS label – aptly titled “In My Prime”. Strauss is an experienced musician with a signature, grown up from the respect for his idols. He knows them, the pioneers: Guitar Slim, Luther Tucker, all three Kings, Otis Rush and Magic Sam. You can’t pin him on anyone, and yet they all live through his playing. Today Kai himself is a well-respected figure among guitar fans worldwide.
On “In My Prime”, a first-class band lights a fire of 70ies funky blues influences underneath Kai, and his featuring a horn section built around US saxophone virtuoso Sax Gordon is another example of his international importance. New original songs like “Going To London” or “In My Prime” speak to his ability to walk traditional paths in a creative manner.
Strauss understands that the music should always tell a story. Heartfelt vocals and plenty of tasteful guitar playing with punches of feelings and emotions shine through these 11 tracks about personal experiences (“Guest In The House Of The Blues”), current topics (“World Crisis Blues”) and also the dark side of life (“Put That Bottle Down”).
Maybe he is, as he says, in his prime with this album. But “In My Prime” is definitely not simply a repetition of his previous work, but evidence of his musical and personal growth that will keep him as a meaningful and exciting blues artist in the future.

In My Prime MP3
In My Prime FLAC

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Tommie Harris & R&B Caravan - Alabama Hambone (Feat. Kai Strauss)

Size: 139,7 MB
Time: 59:50
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2018
Styles: Electric Blues, Blues Jazz, R&B
Art: Front

01. Pick Up Styx (Feat. Kai Strauss) (3:43)
02. Alabama Hambone (Feat. Kai Strauss) (3:26)
03. A Time (Feat. Kai Strauss) (3:34)
04. It's A Blues World (Feat. Kai Strauss) (3:53)
05. Take Your Time (Feat. Kai Strauss) (3:42)
06. I Need Your Love (Feat. Kai Strauss) (3:08)
07. Good Daddy (Feat. Kai Strauss) (5:37)
08. Running Moonshine (Feat. Kai Strauss) (2:59)
09. Understanding (Feat. Kai Strauss) (3:09)
10. One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer (3:43)
11. Security Blues (Live) (5:42)
12. Good Bread Alley (Live) (5:32)
13. Ain't Nobody's Business If I Do (Live) (Feat. Kai Strauss) (5:29)
14. Hucklebuck (Live) (Feat. Kai Strauss) (6:03)

For more than 30 years, we are performing with our friend TOMMIE HARRIS, who just celebrated his 80th birthday.
In his long career as a musician, he wrote about 150 songs - for the present CD we hand-picked our favorites and recorded them; pianist Dave Ruosch arranged the music and played on most of these; additionally, we dug deep in our archives and added a few live recordings from the past years.
Our band R&B Caravan has been touring Europe for almost 20 years, and there is heavy contribution from all the members and guests to the tight sounds of our combo: pianists Dave Ruosch and Andi Sobczyk, saxphonist Tom Müller, guitarists Kai Strauss and Dave Blenkhorn, and the band founding rhythm section of Peter Müller and Dani Gugolz.

Alabama Hambone MP3

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