review from the UK

this is what Blues In The South wrote about our new record with Boo Boo Davis:

B&T 987 – Boo Boo Davis + Electro Blues Society – Transatlantic Quarantaine Sessions  
Regular BiTS readers might recognise some of the numbers on this set, as a few have seen release as digital singles and have been reviewed as such. East Saint Louis bluesman Boo Boo, a real old school blues singer, harpman and drummer, has been working with Dutch label Black & Tan since 1998. They weren’t going to let a little thing like a nearly global lockdown get in the way, and these quarantine tracks are the result. Boo Boo tends to just do his thing—tough, no-nonsense vocals and wailing blues harp—whilst the ElectroBluesSociety (label boss Jan Mittendorp on guitar and “buttons” and Jasper Mortier on drums and bass) complements him with some raw electric guitar work, and often computer generated rhythms and effects. Having listened to and enjoyed the singles, it was something of a surprise that the album itself comes across as a balance of blues and electronica. On the individual releases, it often seemed as though Boo Boo was the main focus, but on this set, there is a definite, very recognisable hybrid style.

Purists might quibble about it, but Boo Boo himself seems quite happy about it. See it as a salient reminder that the blues isn’t just for old folks, you know.

 

review from the UK

this short review by Norman Darwen was published in BLUES IN THE SOUTH (UK):

B&T 969 – All The Way Down – ElectroBluesSociety feat Jan Hidding.

Another download single from this Dutch outfit with singer Jan Hidding. ‘All The Way Down’ runs to four and a half minutes, with Jan’s big, deep voice backed by a riffing guitar, bass, drums, blues harp and occasional electronic noises. The song itself is a soulful, blues ballad, a little reminiscent of the mid-60s but certainly contemporary, though the electronics add to the track rather than detract from it. Do try to give it a listen!

 

review from the UK

ElectroBluesSociety feat Jan Hidding – Rosie (Black & Tan B&T 967

Jan Hidding is singer with the long-standing Europe an garage blues group The Cuban Heels, here teamed up with the Dutch Black & Tan’s label’s house band (Jasper Mortier on drums and bass and label boss Jan Mittendorp on guitars and effects) for a modern recording of “Rosie”, the prison song recorded by Alan Lomax. The results are nicely gritty, rootsy dance music; but don’t let that last phrase put you off, there’s definitely more than a trace of UK 60s R’n’B. Very interesting indeed…