Nico Brina - Boogie Me Up (2019)

Personnel:
Nico Brina: vocals, piano
Tobias Schramm: drums, percussion

Thirty-five years on the scene, over three thousand shows in eighteen countries. "Boogie Me Up" was announced as a jubilee album.
Nico Brina serves us fifteen songs on the sixth album for Stormy Monday Records. Twelve of them are original compositions.
"Good Rockin 'Tonight" was written by Ray Brown in 1947. "Clap Hands" put Tom Waits on paper and "Why Did You Kiss Me Last Night" goes back to Lucky Wüthrich.
The boogie-woogie pianist will be accompanied by drummer Tobias Schramm, whom Nico Brina has been at his side for nineteen years, according to the information sheet.
For the recordings, the duo went to U108, Biel (Switzerland). There Raffael Brina mixed and the protagonist is listed as a producer.

Let's take a look at the Tom Waits cover, because it makes you curious what Nico Brina got out of "Clap Hands".
As the pianist and drummer Tobias Schramm have done a great job, because the mystical flair of the original has been implemented very well by the own handwriting. Nico Brina looks with an eye on the blues and in which splendid way the interpretation passes, turns out the certain extra. Highlight!
In the class of the number, the exceptional pianist should continue to think outside the box.

About a motivating grooving instrumental "Jellyfish Babe" moves for the following "C Jam Boom Boom" drummer Tobias Schramm in the foreground, because he determined with his passionate drumming the great accents in this further song without words. Great!
Intensive-fast is the simple with "Boogie Woogie" designated track therefore.
Nico Brina's fingers literally fly over the black and white keys. It grooves and even these two and a half minutes are magnificent entertainment of the forced kind. Class!
The sounds dance happily in "Calypso Boogie". With his playing Tobias Schramm is also very close to the pianist. Latin mood is guaranteed, so to speak. The sung "Headhunter" is a woman and this piece develops a special tension.

Over the entire playing time of nearly thirty-nine minutes, Nico Brina draws key ideas from an almost inexhaustible source.

Wow! "Good Rockin 'Tonight" promises in sweaty fast rock'n'roll exactly what the song title promises.
The drummer takes a break, because "Her Elvis" is a solo matter of the pianist. One gives oneself to this ballad and after the last notes one will hear this song again. Nico Brina does not shy away from successfully replacing his voice with an Elvis Presley touch.
The driving "Barrelhouse Mice Race" is one of six instrumental numbers and they are all well received by the listener.

Whether in the form just mentioned without words, with vocals or with the cover songs ... Nico Brina's "Boogie Me Up" is a highly successful invitation to pay attention to this great album. Hats off, Nico Brina and Tobias Schramm!