T. Leino Band - Dynamite Boogie

Size: 223
Time: 35:37
File: Flac
Released: 2009
Styles: Blues
Art: Full

1. Jumpin' At Main Street (3:37)
2. Juke Joint Boogie (3:52)
3. Meet Me At Midnight (3:21)
4. I Had A Dream (3:50)
5. Dynamite Boogie (3:24)
6. Hello Stranger (3:26)
7. Drinkin' And Hidin' (4:03)
8. Snake Bite (3:02)
9. Stranger In My House (3:41)
10. Big Fat Woman (3:19)

Towards the top of the year Tomi Leino and his bands play with a nice mood on their first long-awaited album "Dynamite Boogie". The album is one of the best of the year in the field of blues, says Kake Kiirikki. The T. Leino Band , which belongs to the absolute top guard of domestic blues bands , has become known as a hard-working foursome. Domestic clubs and parties have been able to enjoy high-quality Chicago Blues for several years, and they have often been seen accompanying foreign guests as well. The band has collaborated with, for example, RJ Mischo, West Weston and Steve Guyger . With the latter, the album " Keep It Moving " was also born in 2007. This band's first self-titled album "Dynamite Boogie" continues with the same uncompromising style. Led by guitarist-singer-harpist Tomi Leino , poppoo has managed to capture a very live-like atmosphere on the album. The unadorned sound world of the old union works perfectly. Jonne Kulluvaara , who worked as a producer, must have taken care of this matter, and has not smoothed the sounds too much in the style of the modern world. All ten songs on the album are written by Tomi Leino. The album starts with the swinging instrumental "Jumpin' At Main Street", where Tom's virtuoso harmonica comes into its own. The rocking "Juke Joint Boogie" sung by Tom will get your feet moving. Nuances can be found in the harmonica, and guitarist Sammeli Palovaara takes turns in solos comfortably. Tomi Leino gets to show his nails on the guitar in the second instrumental "Meet Me At Midnight". Very stylish soloing. In the song "I Had A Dream" you can hear a very original harmonica sound. The sly sly voice is probably the so-called gimmicky third. The upbeat title song "Dynamite Boogie" also goes well. Mullikooro plays the name funny in the background in the chorus. To the beat of Ränttä blues , familiarity with the unknown is rubbed in the song "Hello Stranger", and we look in the mirror with cloudy eyes in "Drinkin' And Hidin'". There is always talk about drinking , at least afterwards. "Snake Bite" is a nice-sounding guitar instrumental with familiar picks here and there. Kari Karpo's bass patterns roll and Jarkko Lepistö paces in a sopa style. "Stranger In My House" offers grating harmonica and an introspective mood . Pretty dull,

Dynamite Boogie FLAC

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Steve Guyger & T. Leino Band - Keep It Moving!

Size: 113,0 MB
Time: 48:16
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2007
Styles: Chicago Blues, Harmonica Blues
Art: Full

01. Oh Baby (3:38)
02. My Baby's Gone (4:57)
03. You Know, Yeah! (4:19)
04. Red Hot Kisses (3:58)
05. Mumbo In Helsinki (3:49)
06. Come Home Baby (4:54)
07. Better Cut That Out (3:47)
08. Slappin' The Boogie (3:49)
09. Just Can't Take It Anymore (2:58)
10. Come, Come Back Baby (4:36)
11. Springtime Blues (4:12)
12. Jumpin' At Sauna (3:15)

The album "Keep It Moving" by Steve Guyger and the Finnish T. Leino Band provides a hefty 12-track portion of Chicago Blues. Five of the tracks are originals by Guyger. On the others, the line-up offers its interpretations on classics by e.g. Little Walter and the both Sonny Boy Williamsons. Guyger, a harpist and singer from Philadelphia, toured Finland with a local band in the latter parts of the years 2005 - 2007. The songs of the new album were recorded in Helsinki and Tampere during the first two Finnish trips.

In 2005, the festival crowd at Vaasa's Halloween Blues made the group play somewhat harder, but especially on the other two occasions it has been a real pleasure to listen to their sound – a sound that is no less than refined. Late 2007 also included a mini-tour of Russia.

As a singer, Steve Guyger is definitely not a shouter. His voice, instead, conveys a touch of roughness and loads of warmth. So it is a slight disappointment to notice that the new album seldom compares to the effect of his live performances. For example, the Sonny Boy Williamson II cover "Red Hot Kisses" introduces a Guyger that pushes his way through in a constrained manner. Better moments are evident, though: Guyger's own "My Baby's Gone" and "Come, Come Back Baby" bring the singer so close to the listener. Let's concentrate on our strengths, so we'll stay on top of our game, as a hockey coach would probably put it.

Kari Karpo's double bass is always a pleasing experience at the band's gigs. They usually play on low volumes; so low that you can hear the fingers meet the strings, and at the right times, the strings hit the fretboard in true slappin' style. It is another letdown here: on the cd, the bass does not get the credit it deserves.

On the other hand, Tomi Leino's semi-hollow guitar appears at its untiring and endlessly innovative best. It sounds as good as it does live. There is no real soloing, however; and there should not be, because "Keep It Moving" is first and foremost a harmonica album. Guyger's harp work is full of tones and rich on technique. Jarkko Lepistö and Jupe Litmanen, then again, have obviously absorbed the essence of Chicago style drumming.

The album seems to be tackling an eternal problem: how to catch the feel and the sound of live performances on record? A bigger investment in production would surely have helped this cd to overcome the problem. The first-class musicians of the album are hardly the ones to blame for the light-weight production; the reasons for the low number of professionally produced blues albums in Finland are somewhere else.

Blues legend Eddie Boyd moved to Finland in the early 70's and cut the album "Praise to Helsinki"; Guyger and the Leino Band are no worse with their Guyger-written Finnish-influenced instrumentals "Mumbo in Helsinki" and "Jumpin' at Sauna". Finnish blues history does not get rewritten with "Keep It Moving", but the album surely adds a few interesting chapters to it.

Thanks to Kempen.
Keep It Moving!

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