Backroom Blues Volume Twelve

Backroom Blues Volume Twelve by Various Artists
UPC 655469571310
ISRC: USPXQ0526001-USPXQ0526010
Record Label Release Date: 05.26.23
Physical and Digital Distribution
Physical CDs Order Here $12.97 Including Shipping to USA Address
1. The NEW Bardots – On Our Own 2:33
2. Gypsy Carns – Now I’m Alive 3:26
3. E.G. Holmes – Busted feat. David Vanden Enden 4:18
4. The NEW Bardots – Corporation Businessman 4:01
5. Bible Belt Blues – The House of the Rising Sun 5:21
6. E.G. Holmes – Mysterious feat. Karl Knutson 3:18
7. Boys’N’ Barry – Think What Might Have Been 3:16
8. Bible Belt Blues – If You Only Knew 4:31
9. Tiki Cowboys – Crickets 4:21
10. Grit’s Guitar – Missing You 9:49
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Music Reviews

The NEW Bardots delves into a wild, cacophonous sense of the blues with “On Our Own.” As they let it rip, volume is a given, incorporating guitar athletics alongside unhinged rhythms. A force of nature, they hold nothing back.

Harmonica proves to accompany the wild presence of Gypsy Carns’ “Now I’m Alive.” Faith-based, the message has an otherworldly presence. Drums kick it out, for the piece has an intrinsic beauty.

Delicate piano adorns “Busted (feat. David Vanden Enden)” for E.G., Holmes goes for a noir-like cadence. Like being lost in a dream, they allow the rest of the sound to feel life-affirming. The layered approach works its magic.

Sly grooves underpin “Corporation Businessman” as The NEW Bardots have a wildness right at the periphery of their sound. Guitars play off each other in this dazzling display. The song has a laid-back presence.

Things go right for the intimate on the stripped-down essence of “The House of the Rising Sun,” with his voice rising to the sky. A cautionary tale for sure, the piece unfurls in a majestic stance. Everything about it has this hallowed cadence.

E.G. Holmes presents a dignified parade on the darkened edges of “Mysterious (feat. Karl Knutson).” They have fantastic interplay, emphasizing the importance of community. Horns add to this sense of the immense.

Hushed late-night jazz emerges on the Boys’N’Barry’s “Think What Might Have Been.” Yearning to its core, the song has a stately elegance. Lyrics offer a sense of introspection.

Skeletal structures emerge with “If You Only Knew” as the Bible Belt Blues has a hot, humid confessional quality. Things here take their time, as the song threatens pure collapse. He hints at a potentially darker path.

The soothing calm of “Crickets” shows off the giddy nature of Tiki Cowboys. Much of the work goes for this buildup, as the song feels so joyous. Vocals rest right in the center, with the percussion further adding to the twee sensibility.

A pure vibe emerges on the epic finale of “Missing You” as Grit’s Guitar possesses some impeccable chops. The song manages to tell an entire story without saying a single word. Quite entrancing, it brings things to a close.

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Bongo Boy Records is a name synonymous with bringing new music to its ever-growing army of fans and followers, whether via TV shows, compilation albums or just by acting as a champion for the great and the good, the rising stars and the established acts alike. The Backroom Blues series of compilations is the place to connect with them if you are a fan of all things blues. Not just in its traditional forms but souled-out, rocked-up, old-school, contemporary and everything in between.

Things kick off with a reminder that no matter where rock’n’roll has travelled across the musical landscape, it is music built on blues progressions and guitar grooves. The NEW Bardots, a name familiar to anyone in the Bongo Boy gang, give us On Our Own, a rip-roaring and riotous slice of bluesy rock. They also have a second inclusion in Corporate Businessman, a song that goes even further to prove the close connection between the two genres.

Now I’m Alive, by Gypsy Carns, runs on more traditional lines, the swagger and sway, the attitude and energy merely pushed slightly towards the rock way of doing things, resulting in the best of both worlds, a song which captures the passion and prowess of the blues player and the energy and edge of the rock world.
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E.G. Holmes leans even further into the earliest traditions of the genre with Busted, featuring David Vanden Enden, but again adds the poise and polish required to open up the genre to a much wider audience. His second offering, Mysterious, this time graced by the talent and tones of Karl Knutson’s voice, takes some soulful sonics, breezy brass, heavenly harmonies and urgent vocal deliveries to link the worlds of soul and old-school R&B with their bluesy travelling companions.

Bible Belt Blues ooze pure, understated and authentic blues, as the name might suggest and take on the classic House of the Rising Sun, a song brought to widespread attention by The Animals but a composition which has possibly gone through hundreds of years of evolution to get to the modern audience. It is the perfect choice for their spacious and heartfelt approach and a gentle reminder that blues standards, as well as folk, jazz and other rootsy styles, don’t have a definitive form, making them ripe for personalisation and further exploration.

They also give us If You Only Knew, a song that seems to blend the blues form with a strange and beguiling beat and percussion, emphasising even further that blues isn’t really a genre with a fixed sound but perhaps more an attitude, an expression or even a lifestyle, put to music.
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Boys’N’ Barry mixes cool jazz vibes, muted trumpet and gorgeous soul vocals into Think What Might Have Been, a song that takes us back to the heyday of the soul diva and the music of Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Dinah Washington, Peggy Lee and Billie Holiday, and Tiki Cowboys’ Crickets is a song full of stomp and swagger, leaning into some music hall traditions and rowdy, sing-along bar tunes.

Things wrap up with Grit’s Guitar and Missing You and perhaps the most bluesy sound of the whole album, especially if you are a fan of the more modern electric musical machinations. It bows out with an array of drifting notes and extended soloing, floating guitar lines and a perfect celebration of the modern blues guitar, which itself echoes with all the hardship and heartache, pain and passion of a hundred years or more of the blues sound.

Blues fans will love this curated compilation, but more than that, with its range of sounds and styles, the album acts as a perfect showcase of just how broad the genre is. If you can’t find something to love here…well, there might be something wrong with your ears—nothing personal, just something that you might want to consider.
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What an honor to receive such a wonderful professional international review for our Blues album Backroom Blues Vol. Twelve by Various Artists and to also receive such sincere recognition for the work I love to do here at Bongo Boy Records - Thank you Mladen Loncar

When you have 12 sequels behind you promoting and promoting a musical style, it certainly speaks to your tendency to simply not let anything or anyone distract you from your goal. Backroom Blues Vol. 12 by Various Artists is a new collection of collected songs and artists who want to introduce themselves to us. Monique Grimme is a true lover of this musical style and a lady who will really do everything to make both fans and performers of this musical style satisfied. So much for the introduction...

Writing about most of these releases, Bongo Boy Records year after year we all become more aware of how rich and varied this musical style really is. How many musicians are involved in all of this and how much actually the listeners are eager to hear new things and new names again and again.

Through years of dealing with the promotion of blues, as well as other related music, I myself have become aware that this segment has its own great importance and significance. Honestly, I'm glad that I can be a part of that story and that more and more people "realize" that I'm doing it purely for the love of the blues.

When a publishing house "rewards" me by taking my sentences and putting them in their promotional press materials, I feel honored. At the same time, this causes in me a great responsibility, but also an obligation not to live off "old glory", but to be persistent and constantly work and build your personality and to simply work on yourself.

Listening to this last album and comparing it with other Bongo Boy Records releases, one feels and hears that exposed progression, which only goes on. Namely, it is neither easy nor simple to find contractors, who must meet certain criteria and, first of all, be of high quality and must have that "something".

On May 26, this edition had its so-called "street date", which really strongly started the whole story and simply intrigued all those who follow the publishing of this record company... or just like to be up to date and love the blues.
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This edition will surely offer you a wide range of different directions of this musical style. From solid blues rock to soulful fragments, jazzy nuances and all the way to the traditional values of this musical style. All together, he brings us 10 compositions, each of which has its own personality and story. What is certainly important to emphasize is the fact that everything you are hearing, you are hearing for the first time...at least personally I accept it that way and I am not ashamed of it at all. Backroom Blues Vol.12 is definitely a place where all those who love blues will connect without any reservations. We all know the story of how the blues had a baby and named it rock n' roll. On the other hand, the whole story has its own progression, importance, strength and significance. Precisely for these reasons, this album is the perfect choice for a broad and honest approach, and a very subtle reminder that blues standards, as well as folk,

Recommendation

Blues fans will love this compilation Backroom Blues Vol. 12 different artists and more. With its range of sounds and styles, this album acts as a perfect showcase where it becomes clear how wide this genre is. If you can't find something you like here, then maybe there's something wrong with your ears, and of course it's nothing personal, just the fact that it's something you might want to give some serious thought to. Or maybe this suits you better:The Backroom Blues series is one of the well-known multi-artist albums highly desired and requested by Blues radio DJs and Blues lovers from around the world. And here is the explanation why: Thanks to Bongo Boy Records, we have the opportunity to enjoy the Blues musicians who will surely be surprised by my music story. What this record label does has its significance and it actually shows us how to be persistent and should work to get as many people familiar with this musical style.

Over the years, it is indicative that more and more people are stuck in front of these releases because such compilations are a great opportunity for audiences to get to know a certain number of musicians, so if you are interested in something, then go ahead and look for more material than each of them. In this way, the story just spreads ... "

Yours bluesy,
Mladen Loncar - Mike

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Music label Bongo Boy Records continues championing independent artists with yet another robust music collection. And this time, it’s all about the Blues. Featuring ten tracks from talented Blues artists, Backroom Blues Vol. 12, a compilation spun by multiple Blues DJs throughout the world, might be the strongest multi-artist offering yet. Let’s break it down.

The NEW Bardots, featured on previous Bongo Boy Records compilations, bring their usual down and dirty electric sound with “On Your Own.” Starting with a strong and steady riff, perfectly mixed drums, light backing organ, and raw, definitely-made-for-the-Blues vocals, “On Your Own” is a powerful, no-nonsense kickoff.

Track #2 by the Gypsy Carns, “Now I’m Alive,” immediately reminds me of George Thorogood’s “Bad to the Bone,” but the chorus, thankfully, diverges. With ample harmonica and a voice worn from life, singing, and perhaps copious liquor, “Now I’m Alive” is a tried and true Blues testimonial.

“Busted” by E.G. Homes (and featuring David Vanden Enden) is a softer offering kicking off with twinkling piano and clean Blues soloing. There are some surprising chord changes that aren’t regularly associated with Blues, so this track, with especially powerful male vocals, makes a more unique and powerful statement.

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Did I hear you say, “We want more from The NEW Bardots”? We have you covered with track #4, “Corporation Businessman.” And, made quite obvious by the lyrics, The NEW Bardots don’t think highly of corporation businessmen. With scratchy guitars and some accompanying harmonica, this mid-tempo track sows a little well-earned distrust for those benefiting from perhaps unfair corporate structure.

Track #5, “The House of the Rising Sun,” gets the acoustic treatment courtesy of Bible Belt Blues. Although missing the powerful vocals of The Animals’ Eric Burdon, this more solemn interpretation truly sits with the song’s glaring anguish.

E.G. Homes (and featuring Karl Knutson) returns with another more unique Blues entry, “Mysterious.” This time with horns, “Mysterious,” based again on piano, is another strong release with those expressive male vocals. I hate to play favorites – as taste is purely subjective – but E.G. Homes (and whomever guests) seems to have an edge over other Blues artists with a refreshing divergence from expected Blues passages.

Track #7 features another veteran of Bongo Boy Records compilations, Boys’N’Barry, with “Think What Might Have Been.” This time with a female singer – and a VERY different offering from Bongo Boy Records’ Kryp II Knight Vol. IV – “Think What Might Have Been” features slinking horns, brushed drums, and jazzy piano. This is akin to a 1940’s nightclub performance, and I can almost envision the performers through a chorus of clinking glasses and an obtrusive veil of cigarette smoke.

Bible Belt Blues returns with “If Only You Knew.” The song starts with surprisingly electronic percussion underneath a sliding acoustic guitar. This is another scaled down, personal performance that only relies on truth to properly express a heartfelt message.

“Crickets” from the Tiki Cowboys starts with….well, crickets. And then mandolin-like strumming accompanies drums when the verse kicks in. Although the narrator/singer is obviously pained while waiting for a response (probably from a potential romantic partner), the song is surprisingly upbeat and melodically…hopeful? Aware this perspective is a bit…silly? The chorus opens up with delayed slide guitar and space-filling organ; a nice and airy uptick from the narrator’s narrow mental focus. “Crickets” is another nice divergence, very self-aware, and immediately appreciated.

The final track, “Missing You” from Grit’s Guitar, starts with a big (but clean) guitar chord and an easy, laid-back drum beat. This is an instrumental featuring melodic leads gaining incremental aggression as the song persists. This is a pared down closer that truly tells a tragic tale in every laboriously bent note.

If you like the Blues, and you want to hear the latest contributors to this musical American legacy, we HIGHLY recommend Bongo Boy Records’ Backroom Blues Vol. 12.

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