New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ MondoTunes) BluesRock & Country Inc. are proof of just how far the influence of American music can travel. In this case, Namibia. Jos Slabbert is the descendant of French Hugenots, who have lived in Africa since 1688. He also loves the blues - not just listening, but playing it as well. That's where BluesRock & Country Inc. come in. A one-man project, Slabbert and his seven guitars have been hard at work, and after five years, BluesRock & Country Inc. has released its first album, "Old-fashioned Love."
"Old-fashioned Love" is a unique take on that quintessential American product. The result is an interesting experiment. "Old-fashioned Love" has rocking guitar lines built around horns, harmonica, and an electronic rhythm section. Slabbert's wife even provides a little back up on the cymbals.
Why the blues? Slabbert says it's always been his passion. "In spite of the fact that my family have lived in Africa since 1688, there is very little contemporary African influence in most of my music. (If you listen carefully, you can sometimes hear it in my rhythms: There is, for instance, a little bit of Jo'burg in my song LA Blues.)"
The title track is an up-tempo torch song, with the a little honkytonk guitar thrown in for good measure. That guitar showmanship stands front-and-center on every track from "Old-fashioned Love." "Where has my true love gone" starts right out with a searing guitar solo that grabs your attention immediately. The slide guitar on "A tiger in disguise" is as dirty and raw as anything coming out of Memphis.
BluesRock & Country Inc. follow a diverse set of influences, including
Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Allman Brothers, John Mayal and the Bluesbreakers, Keb Mo, The Living Blues, Tab Benoit, Taj Mahal, Zac Brown Band, The Blues Brothers - what the band calls "a potpourri." But inspiration was taken carefully, because BluesRock & Country Inc. want to maintain their unique sound. "These influences are very indirect - more of an inspirational kind."
All the way from the Southwestern African coast, BluesRock & Country Inc. are bringing the blues back home.
The LP "Old-fashioned Love" is distributed globally by MondoTunes (www.MondoTunes.com) and is available at iTunes for convenient purchase and download
