Record Reviews

JOANNA KNITTER ~ ARETHA ALLEGRO 041 (Barcode: 5901157049414) ~ POLAND ~ Blues-Rock Recorded: 2020 Released: 2020 This is an album by Polish vocalist Joanna KnitterFind albums by this artist and her band called Blues & Folk ConnectionFind albums by this artist, which comprises of keyboardist Artur JurekFind albums by this artist, guitarist Krzysztof PaulFind albums by this artist, bassist Adam ZuchowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Piotr GoraFind albums by this artist. As the title suggests, this s a tribute album to the American Soul / Rhythm And Blues Diva, singer / songwriter Aretha FranklinFind albums by this artist. The album presents thirteen songs either written by or associated with Franklin’s repertoire. Normally I’d have dismissed such enterprise without even giving it a listen; I mean Polish vocalist singing classic / untouchable songs, probably with a terrible Polish accent and accompanied by a bunch of anonymous musicians. But luckily for me I have heard several earlier recordings by Knitter and decided to give the album a chance, which turned out to be quite a pleasant surprise. Of course there is nothing innovative or original as far as the music is concerned, but Knitter is an incredible vocalist, with a lovely husky / throaty voice, which she uses very effectively, her accent is not bad at all and her feel for the Blues / Soul is pretty astonishing, as if she was born Black at heart. And to top things up, the guys in the band turn out to be ass-kicking instrumentalist, who can play great guitar licks, soulful Hammond and piano accompaniment and the rhythm section pushes the music strongly forward. In short this is a great Blues / Soul album, which stands proudly shoulder to shoulder with anything recorded across the pond, and with the American music market’s head deeply stuck up the Hip Hop behind, this music sounds more American than anything made in the America these days. In short, as usual, never dismiss an album before you hear it, as nice surprises can happen. Hats off to Knitter for making my ass dance in the chair when I listened to this album, which I hope will happen to everybody listening to it. I surely appreciate to courage to face this challenge – you did well Lady!

Updated: 08/05/2023Posted: 09/08/2021

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JOANNA KNITTER ~ DISTANT BLUES NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Blues Recorded: 2024 Released: 2025 This is an album by Polish vocalist Joanna KnitterFind albums by this artist and her band called Blues & Folk ConnectionFind albums by this artist, which comprises of organist Artur JurekFind albums by this artist, guitarist Krzysztof PaulFind albums by this artist, bassist Adam ZuchowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Piotr GoraFind albums by this artist. The album presents eleven tracks, ten of which are original songs, nine composed by Knitter and one by Paul. The remaining track is a cover of a song written by American songwriter Norma TanegaFind albums by this artist. Knitter wrote all the lyrics to these songs, five of which are in English and six in Polish. On a note Joanna attached to the CD she sent to me, she wrote: “I am sending you my latest creation, which my band and I recorded under the premise that Blues is Life. I hope that listening to this material won’t be painful to you, but if this happens to be the case, the CD is a perfect coaster for a cup of coffee”. This note perfectly sums up the situation, and no, it is not going to serve as a coaster, since I truly love this album to bits! I have been following Knitter’s career for some time now, and although I always liked her work, this is absolutely the best recording she ever made. Her voice, husky, throaty and beautifully hoarse is perfect for what she does and the songs she writes are as Bluesy as can be. I even don’t mind her singing in English, as her pronunciation is completely acceptable by now. And the band! They really sound incredible, with the Hammond Organ, which is just perfect for the job. I also love the acoustic bass, which adds the proper depth to the sound. In short, it just does not get any better! But of course the most important thing is that Knitter’s got the Blues feel, deep inside her soul, without which nothing works. Overall, this is a brilliant Blues album, with some touches of Soul, which offers a great set of original songs, superb instrumental work and sublime vocals, everything that makes music such a deep emotional experience. Some people say that Blues was born in Poland (well in Silesia), which is usually meant as a jest, but after listening to this album one starts to wonder… A big Blues hug to you, my Dear!

Updated: 11/04/2025Posted: 11/04/2025

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MOONGANG ~ TAXI ALLEGRO 024 (Barcode: 5901157049247) ~ POLAND ~ Blues-Rock Recorded: 2012 Released: 2012 This is the debut album by a young Polish Blues-Rock / Funk band MoongangFind albums by this artist, fronted by female vocalist Joanna KnitterFind albums by this artist, with harmonica player Roman BadenskiFind albums by this artist, guitarist Marcin WadolowskiFind albums by this artist, pianist Hubert SwiatekFind albums by this artist, bassist Karol KozlowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Piotr GoraFind albums by this artist. The album comprises of eleven original songs and one instrumental. The guitarist composed eight of the pieces, the vocalist two and the bassist and pianist contributed one each. Knitter wrote the lyrics to all eleven songs, ten of which are in English and one is in Polish. Obviously based on the Blues tradition, the music stretches out into other genres, like Rock, Funk and even occasionally Fusion. Almost all the tunes are up-tempo and have a very funky feel about them, which certainly tends to make the listeners dance or at least tap their feet. The instrumental performances are all quite excellent, especially the beautiful harmonica parts, which are the link to the Blues roots of this music, but also the guitar and electric piano solos are a delight. The rhythm section does an excellent job keeping the music moving forward and providing the funky feel. The vocalist has a worm, strong voice, which she uses cleverly and effectively and which is ideal for this kind of music. She has a great timing and phrasing and overall her performances are just what this music needs. Having said all that, there are some points about this album, which bother me personally, although most local listeners probably won´t mind them at all. I understand the desire of Polish bands to sound "international" and use English lyrics. The vocalist´s English pronunciation and accent are actually quite passable and are not a problem as such, but the lyrics are. Using slang and dirty words does not make lyrics more "native" English, does it? One does not have to even go beyond this very album to see that the sole song in Polish sounds so much better that all the others, in order to learn a lesson not to make the same mistake again, hopefully. But all in all this is an excellent debut album by a band with a lot of abilities and even more potential in the future. This band most probably kicks ass on the stage like few others and gives the audiences a great time. The album is great for driving, as I´ve experienced, making the long stretch of the road to pass unnoticed. Well done indeed!

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