German blues guitar player Greyhound George, based in Bielefeld, Germany, the city that according to an internet satire (Bielefeld conspiracy) does not exist, delivers his sixth acoustic guitar-based blues album supplied by Karl Valta (blues harp) which was recorded in „Maschinenraum Tonstudio“ Herford.
Karl Valta is not only a well-known graphic artist (he designed the album cover) but also an outstanding blues harp player. Apple Street Boogie deals with everyday life on Apple Street, the home of storyteller Greyhound George. Ten of fifteen tracks are written by Greyhound George himself. The awesome blues harp solo „Dunkeltuten“ (on a low low F blues harp) is composed by Karl Valta and presented to produce goose bumps. The album is also enriched with covers from Bob Dylan, Willy Dixon, Willy Brown, and finally with an outstanding version of Fred McDowell’s blues standard „You gotta move“ to complete this fine album in an authentical and emotional way.
Multi-talented Karl Valta lives and works in the contemplative little town of Klein Jasedow but does not only work as a painter and graphic artist. He also belongs to the most distinguished blues musicians in the North East of Germany. During the last few summers he used to be on tour in the Baltic Sea region together with Greyhound George. The album reflects the fantastic team work between Karl and George. Both have a heart for traditional blues songs, however, on this album they „stamped“ old and new songs with a very personal and coeval touch.
There are some significant blues songs like „Blues won’t leave“, „You gotta move“ and „Walk by your side“, however, you also find there subtle irony and humorous titles like „Hole in my pocket“ and „What can I do when I get happy“. „Apple Street Boogie“ deals with everyday life in a typical German periphery. Goose bumps will be produced by listening to Karl Valta’s blues harp solo „Dunkeltuten“ on his low low F harp. „Dunkeltuten“ is a synonym for „to idle away“ and comes from the old times when ships got lost in fog and were disabled so they had to give a regular signal to avoid being rammed by other ships: Dunkeltuten (tooting in the dark).
Best acoustic recording conditions produce a trash-free campfire romanticism in your living room. Listening to this album you always get the impression of Greyhound George sitting right beside you smiling at you in an unmistakably contented way. Thumbs up!
Can’t Miss Tracks: Walk by your side, Hole in my pocket, Dunkeltuten, Apple Street Boogie, What can I do when I get happy
