Hermann Posch Blues Band & Zach Prather - So Many Roads (2020) [Hi-Res]

If two artists meet to pursue a joint project, superlatives are often quickly clichéd. From "soul mate" to "congenial partner" to the famous "brother from another mother". But only in very rare cases emerges what could be described as the magic of the moment. The very moment in which, according to Goethe, one devotes oneself to a special mission.

Zach Prather and Hermann Posch are no strangers to each other. They’ve shared a stage on many occasions, conversed about God and the Universe, and of course, the Blues. One of them from Chicago, absorbing it right at the source from the urban post-war fountain of this music, the other one -the Austrian- internalized this form of expression via a lifetime of deep study and appreciation of the Blues. The one raves about Willie Dixon and Luther Allison and so many others, the other one has actually played with them. Many similarities. Kindred Spirits.

And then the aforementioned’s moment of realization, where a playful, but loose partnership, results in a congenial album. Failure’s not an option. A song like "Livingroom Blues" jams along in a deep sliding groove while a sly humor pushes it along, lyrically as well as musically. "Devil's Woman" is repetitively hypnotizing, "Lighthouse" captivates - slowly - with soulful feelings, "Moaning Blues" leads the chain gang into the delta swamps.

Without stepping out of time or going down the wrong fork in the road, our two tour guides and their musical companions demonstrate their blind trust and understanding of each other. Ultimately, this experience, the versatility and mutual trust also allow for real spontaneity, reflected by the fact that the recordings in the studio were done almost exclusively live. They truly have to know the road well, to understand, that it is really the destination. Therefore, the invitation to “ Let’s go down to a night club and listen to this low down Blues" shouldn’t be met with any reluctance. Posch and Prather are already enjoying themselves there, as it should be, for brothers from different mothers.

Hermann Posch, guitar, vocals
Zach Prather, guitar, vocals
Constance Schlegl, bass
Michael Strasser, drums