VA - Lockdown Sessions (2020) [CD Rip]

This may be an authentic-sounding blues CD but it has emerged in a most unusual way courtesy of the Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting social distancing and lockdown of normal activities, including live music and recording. As a result German-based British harmonica player Roger C. Wade got these tracks together with artists from eight countries sending their contributions via the internet. In fact some of the musicians had never actually met the people they are playing with! Roger first contacted other German blues players like guitarist Kai Strauss and saxophonist Tommy Schneller but then also added artists from the UK, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Finland and France. He then followed this by getting contributions from several top American players including Larry Garner, Fred Kaplan, Nathan James, Aki Kumar and Big Daddy Wilson.

There is a great variety of styles here from the jump blues of the opener 'Lockdown Blues' - "Strange times we live in, just keep keeping to yourself" to the Chicago band blues of 'Can't Get Too Close' and 'Personal Shutdown' which also both tell lockdown stories - "I've got to love my baby from six feet away..." Abi Wallenstein & Roger Wade do a nice acoustic cover of Son House's very appropriate 'Death Letter Blues' and there is more nice acoustic blues from Little Victor and Kai Strauss, with Black Patti and US harp star Joe Filisko closing the first CD with the low down and dirty 'Be Ready When He Comes'. CD2 starts with a bang with Larry Garner and company, Tommy Schneller blows a nice bluesy instrumental and Christian Bleiming plays beautiful boogie boogie piano. Big Daddy Wilson contributes some soulful gospel, as does the wonderful Veronica Sbergia on 'I Can Tell The World'. And the quality carries on right to the last tracks courtesy of Aki Kumar and Nathan James and especially Jens Turowski whose closing track 'Give Me My Heart Back' is one of the collections' many highlights. Roger deserves much praise for getting this collection of tracks together it is completely successful and I hope that it makes lots of money for the musicians involved. ~G.E. Harrison