Thorbjorn Risager review..November 1, 2015…

THORBJORN RISAGER

AND THE BLACK TORNADO

SONGS FROM THE ROAD

RUF RECORDS 1219

IF YOU WANNA LEAVE–PARADISE–DROWNING–BABY PLEASE DON’T GO–TOO MANY ROADS–CHINA GATE–ROCK ‘N’ ROLL RIDE–THROUGH THE YEARS–LONG FORGOTTEN TRACK–ON MY WAY–ALL I WANT–HIGH ROLLING–LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL–I WON’T LET YOU DOWN–OPENER

DVD–THE DVD HAS THREE ADDITIONAL PERFORMANCES:  I’M TIRED–GET UP, GET HIGHER–THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW LINE

That sound you hear rumblin’ outta Eastern Europe is nothing to fear–it’s just Thorbjorn Risager and his band, The Black Tornado, taking the blues world by storm!  The accolades started pouring in shortly after his 2014 breakout, “Too Many Roads,” including awards from Germany and Denmark.  On April 16, 2015, Risager and the band, expanded to ten pieces, performed at the Harmonie in Bonn, and the result is the latest installment in Ruf Records’ “Songs From The Road” series.

This one is introduced by the bossman, Thomas Ruf himself.  Then Thorbjorn rips into the Hound Dog Taylor-ific boogie of “If You Wanna Leave,” with the caveat to his lover that “I’m gonna miss you when the night time comes.”  The horn section and Emil Balsgaard’s keys ride this boogie for all it’s worth!  “Paradise” funks up the joint, as does a struttin’ read of “Baby Please Don’t Go.”

Thorbjorn has really taken care of his homework on the classic soul men, too.  Case in point is the story of a man who just can’t get over a lover, even after seventeen years, as he plaintively looks “Through The Tears.”

The set closes with a couple of our favorites.  Thorbjorn and Peter Skjerning get into some spirited “dueling guitars” on an eleven-minute party, “Let The Good Times Roll.”  After that workout, Thorbjorn slows things down with a sweet duet with Lisa Lystam, “I Won’t Let You Down.”

The best way to enjoy this band is live, and, luckily for us fans, the whole shootin’ match was recorded on the companion DVD.  Check out the Stones-y guitar work on “High Rollin,” as well as three cuts not on the CD–“The Straight and Narrow Line,” “I’m Tired,” and the anthemic “Get Up, Get Higher.”

Thorbjorn Risager and the Black Tornado have already got a leg up as one of the strongest outfits out there in contemporary blues, after a relatively short time on the scene.  If you can’t see ’em live, do the next best thing and get this CD/DVD combo of “Songs From The Road!”  Until next time…Sheryl and Don Crow, The Nashville Blues Society.