Latenighters Under A Full Moon
Berdon Kirksaether & The Twang Bar Kings
Roller Records
Review by David Bowling
While the blues grew out of the American Delta, they are a musical idiom that translate well to a number of cultures and countries.
Berdon Kirksaether is a blues guitarist, vocalist, and song writer from Norway. During the 1990’s he was a member of CIA, which was one of the most successful blues bands in Norway. He has now reunited with two of his former band mates, Stein Tumert and Per Eriksen under the name Berdon Kirksaether & The Twang Bar Kings. There release is titled Latenighters Under A Full Moon.
Their music may not be as gritty as many blues purists might favor but its smooth and melodic quality, propelled by Kirksaether’s guitar play, explores the light side of the blues. They also veer from traditional blues by incorporating some Latin rhythms into their approach.
The album is an instrumental smorgasbord of tempos, textures and styles. “Conrad’s Bar Bounty” incorporates some swing elements into the sound. “Rendezvous” travels south of the American border for its foundation. Tracks such as “Go Cat Go,” “Cool Cats On The Move,” and “Jumping The Night Away” fuse rock elements with the blues.
Latenighters Under A Full Moon is more laid back and relaxing than it is energetic. Still, it explores the blues from a different perspective and no matter what the country or orientation, good blues is still good blues.
Rating: ***
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