Bare Bones Boogie Band - BBBB return with their second release and it was worth the wait. A more consistent set of songs than on the first release, everyone seems more at ease recording the ten tracks on offer here.

Comfortable in their seventies rock/blues vibe, the band take us on a journey with some lovely guitar riffs, solid rhythms from Andy and Trev and the quite awesome vocals, that had me reminiscing of my older vinyl albums. Iain judging by the songs on here is influenced by the sound of Free, Kossoff inspired on the opener ‘Fallin’For Foolin’ and ‘A Little Bit More’ His song-writing is getting stronger and consistent with gems like ‘Wings’ and ‘Midnight O2’. Helens vocals are well known to the UK blues public, always a joy to hear her live, on here she excels with some wonderful vocal phrasing and power controlled to perfection especially on ‘Siitin’ Here Sewin’ and the slow blues of ‘Mean Old Man’. The cover of R Johnson’s ‘Love In Vain’ is a great band performance, while ‘Second- Hand Hand-Me Down’ see’s the band in boogie mode, while ‘My Man Loves My Van’ finishes off a really corking listen of the cd.

Helen has often been compared to Maggie Bell, no mean comparison that, but I hear snippets of early Elkie Brooks and Lulu in there.

BBBB Blue is getting very positive reviews and rightly so, this cd should see their star rising in the UK and Europe and I look forward to catching up with them again on the road somewhere soon.