Blues
Point Blank Blues Band seems to go from strength to strength, and each CD is a little better than the one before. It makes me wonder how long they can keep improving! If you haven’t heard any of their previous CDs, or read reviews of them, this is a band from the former Yugoslavia, based in Belgrade in what is now Serbia. These are extremely competent musicians, who very obviously know and love the blues. How easy can it be composing and singing the blues in a language that isn’t the one that you were brought up speaking? That the blues the band produces is high on the scale of excellence is even more amazing.
Here then is the band’s latest offering, A Whiter Shade Of Blue (PGP Records_ --- 12 tracks of original blues all written by the mainstay of the band, and man who calls himself Dr. (Dragoljub Crncevic).
The album opens with “The Devil, God & I,” a medium tempo track with some really well played keyboards from Darko Grujic laying down a base for the guitar work from Dr. Maybe I should mention at this stage, that the six-piece Pointblank Blues Band are joined by eight guest musicians playing a variety of instruments, including mandolin, dobro and gusle – no, I hadn’t heard of it either! (it’s a single, or sometimes two, stringed instrument quite popular in the Balkan region).
Track two, “Belgrade Blues,” slows down just a little, and is pure blues that could come from anywhere in the USA, if it wasn’t for the reference to Belgrade
The lyrics, and the vocals, on track three, “A Song For V,” are reminiscent of some of Leonard Cohen’s better material, slow and moody, and well put together, and maybe mixed with a hint of Chris Rea.
Track four, is a strange mix of sounds from a radio which just didn’t work for me at all, but it’s only just over a minute long, so I can’t criticize the band for this little indulgence, and it leads into “Golden Arrows” which is a rock-blues number built around the keyboards and haunting guitar.
“Last Pain,” which is track number six, is best described as Balkan blues, I guess, as it includes some east European violin playing – this adds an interesting flavour to the track, and I found it compulsive listening and a really refreshing look at the blues.
Track seven lifts the tempo to a shuffle beat on “Mama I Blew It,” and then “No Pride” takes you by complete surprise with a country flavour supplied by pedal steel guitar, courtesy of guest musician Mirko Tomic. A good track, but maybe a little out of place here amongst the really good blues material.
My favourite track on this album is a choice between “Belgrade Blues” and the largely instrumental “Roll On,” which almost had me out of the chair and dancing! However, I think “Belgrade Blues” just takes the place as my favourite.
Listen to this CD and hear from refreshing changes.
By Terry Clear. (Mr.FatAss)
**
ow a group of musicians growing up in Tito's Communist Yugoslavia ended up forming one of the world's great electric blues bands is a mystery that stateside fans of Serbia's Point Blank Blues Band may never fully solve. Appreciating their gritty interpretation of the American form, though, takes no effort at all – particularly as vocalist Dragoljub Crncevic (referred to by his stage name of "DR" on earlier albums) sings exclusively in English in his deep baritone.
Their latest CD may be their best in terms of both their songwriting and playing. It finds them adding a strong streak of Texas influences to the 1960s British blues that had clearly shaped their earlier recordings – think Stevie Ray Vaughan sitting in with John Mayall or Savoy Brown.
Crncevic is also a brilliant guitarist – clean leads, incisive runs, a sure hand on the whammy bar. Whether stretching out for 16 bars on a solo or providing a short fill between choruses, Crncevic consistently shows a wonderful balance of virtuosity and taste. As songwriter, too, Crncevic continues to improve. "Belgrade Blues" is a sort of Balkan take on "Sweet Home Chicago" – a broken-hearted love song that just rocks out. And "Roll On" has a sort of Allman Bros. groove to it (in large part due to the soulful electric piano of Darko Grujic).
By Jim Trageser.
**
Dragoljub Dr. Crncevic- Guitar,Vocal
Darko Grujic- Keyboards,Vocal
Zoran Milenkovic- Bass Guitar
Nikola Dokic- Drums
Blagoje Nedeljkovic- Drums
Nenad Stosic- Percussions
**
01. The Devil, God & I (5.06)
02. Belgrade blues (4.26)
03. A Song for V. (4.31)
04. Buda's Lament (Radio VOX) (1.18)
05. Golden Arrows (4.14)
06. Last Pain (5.00)
07. Mama I Blew it (3.25)
08. No Pride (3.49)
09. Gonna get Better (4.18)
10. Will we Ever See (4.12)
11. Roll on (3.27)
12. Love That Hurts (7.05)
**
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