Genre: Blues
Rate: 320 kbps CBR / 44100
Time: 01:00:55
Size: 139,35 MB
CD Liner notes:
"Family Style have made many friends during their tours of Britain in recent years. They are great guys, of course, but the secret of their success is phenomenal live playing. Their gigs are technical masterclasses and, just as importantly, joyous celebrations of a music they so clearly love - the natural blues. Whether performing distinctive and thoughtfully original material or sensitively interpreting the work of others, they reach out to their audiences who never fail to return the embrace by the end of the evening.
We first saw them at Nottingham's Running Horse pub and were so captivated that we drove to Spalding a couple of nights later and watched contentedly as they cast their spell on a capacity crowd. Another tour brought them to Cleethorpes, where their headlining set at the Blues Club Festival quickly turned into a good old-fashioned 'knees-up'. Guitarist Enrico Crivellaro - good to hear him on the bonus track, Franco's exquisite version of Big Walter Horton's "Easy" - was the more-than-capable replacement for an unavailable Marco on that occasion. But we were delighted to welcome back the elder Limido when he took his seat on stage for this gig. An injured leg meant he had to sit down but there was absolutely nothing sedate about his playing that night - as you will hear!
We are spoiled for marvellous music from Europe and the States at the Running Horse, thanks to owner Barry Middleton's immaculate taste and firm policy of only booking the best. But I had no hesitation in naming the gig on this recording Best Of 2004 in my blues column for the Nottingham Post newspaper, alongside storming sets from Otis Grand and Lightnin' Willie. And you can imagine my delight when Franco suggested I write these liner notes. It was a magical night and soundman Dave Stephenson has managed to capture that atmosphere, as well as the peerless performance of a band on tip-top form.
And so to the recording. It opens with the whomping boogie of "Lookin' For A Woman", a band original, and Franco's cry of 'Take me to Chicago, brother!' just before the gritty sting of Marco's guitar break kinda says it all - you could be sat nursing a shot of bourbon in some West Side bar. Hear the subtle enhancement both harp and guitar lend to each other's solos, the drama added by a responsive backline and the warm audience rapport. This is followed by the Eddie Boyd "She's Real", a tough-as-nails fast shuffle delivered with an almost telepathic combination of laid-back looseness and explosive togetherness. And you can't mistake the sincerity in Franco's spoken intro to the next number - Peter Green's "Looking For Somebody" - or help but notice the passion in those perfectly-executed heartbeat rhythms, dropping the audience into a profound silence. Marco's keening guitar arpeggios are at once a homage to the master and entirely his own, and the exquisite interplay with Franco recalls Greeny's talent on harp. "Diving Duck Blues" is a vehicle for Franco's own harmonica mastery with Junior Wells style kiss pops, an echo of Jimmy Reed in the high register blow bends and hand effects recalling Sonny Boy Williamson II.
The first half ends with a triple whammy: the autobiographical "Pocketful of Nothing", with Gigi showing his all-round percussive prowess; the New Orleans style rumba of "Get Rid of You", its poetically-pained lyrics underscored by Davide's resonant basslines and Marco's ringing slide guitar; and then a stomping version of "Walking Blues", the perfect marriage of bottleneck guitar and tough Chicago harp.
"Body Painter", with its wry lyric, is suitably slow and sleazy apart from one uptempo gearshift, T-Bone Walker style. There are more changes of pace in the Freddy King style instrumental "Cannonball", featuring sweet soloing with a delicious jagged edge from Marco. The band stretches out on the self-penned country rocker "Jack Daniels", its tight ensemble ending giving way to the boogie of Rice Miller's "Keep My Business" with some fluent acoustic harp. Franco gets everyone singing along on the anthemic "I Walk All Day", a final reminder of the warm spirit in the room.
They played over twenty numbers that night and it must have been hard to choose the final selection. They have chosen well, though, and this CD gives you the essence of a great band doing what they do best - getting an audience on its feet and dancing the blues away. Oh yes, we were jumping around alright and so were our Italian friends on stage. A few snapshots for you - Franco jettisoning his leather jacket and holding the microphone out over the audience, Marco swaying on his seat lost in the music, Davide performing a Chuck Berryish duckwalk, Gigi hitting every single surface on his drumkit. You can't beat live music, can you, and what better way for Family Style to celebrate their tenth anniversary than with this magnificent live recording? Gracie mille, fellahs!
Tracklist:
01 - Looking For A Woman 05:58
02 - She's Real 02:06
03 - Looking For Somebody 05:01
04 - Diving Duck Blues 06:10
05 - Pocket Full Of Nothin' 05:01
06 - Get Rid Of You 04:13
07 - Walking Blues 03:54
08 - Body Painter 04:48
09 - Cannon Ball 04:10
10 - Thank You All 00:42
11 - Jack Daniel 04:43
12 - Keep My Business 04:15
13 - I Walk All Day 05:35
14 - Easy 04:19
Family Style here:
Thanks Bluesbeast for sharing this album!
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