Who'd have thought a Swede raised on an island in the Baltic, not a single drop of African blood in his veins, would emerge as one of the leading exponents of R&B and blues in New Orleans? Unlike many musicians from el... more »sewhere who've staked out turf there, Osborne stays true to his own musical conceits, rather than mimic the storied local tradition. On his sixth and probably best album, he wrestles sincere feeling from every note he sings and every blue note he plays on guitars, no matter if his technical skills aren't commanding. In his favor, too, the program is filled with sturdy, original slow blues and medium-tempo blues-rock songs. The one stinker is the trad-jazz-flavored "Life Is Strange." Guests: Jonny Lang and Keb' Mo'. Secret weapon: Kirk Joseph, playing bass lines on sousaphone. --Frank-John Hadley« less
Who'd have thought a Swede raised on an island in the Baltic, not a single drop of African blood in his veins, would emerge as one of the leading exponents of R&B and blues in New Orleans? Unlike many musicians from elsewhere who've staked out turf there, Osborne stays true to his own musical conceits, rather than mimic the storied local tradition. On his sixth and probably best album, he wrestles sincere feeling from every note he sings and every blue note he plays on guitars, no matter if his technical skills aren't commanding. In his favor, too, the program is filled with sturdy, original slow blues and medium-tempo blues-rock songs. The one stinker is the trad-jazz-flavored "Life Is Strange." Guests: Jonny Lang and Keb' Mo'. Secret weapon: Kirk Joseph, playing bass lines on sousaphone. --Frank-John Hadley
VERY GOOD in its own right and the rest in the 2nd to last line of the AMG review is right on target. Forget how any of the names dropped in that review make you alternately swoon or cringe, the straight line on this CD is that Anders Osborne is purely awesome, with exactly that NOLA "slurry wobbble" mentioned. Yer all gonna love this one and maybe even learn to like sax like its done right here, if you don't already... And I didn't even get to tracks 10-14 yet, but theyd just be icing on the cake
1 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.
CD Reviews
A Swede CAN Sing The Blues
Dina Glardon | riverside, il United States | 03/16/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Ash Wednesday Blues is an important addition to the blues music world. Osborne Anders is a headliner at the New Orleans Blues Festival and this man can sing the blues. He first caught my attention during an interview on public radio. Anders belongs in New Orleans right up with the best of them and he has a wonderful attitude towards his music and the great musicians that he plays with. Don't miss this one."
A happy survivor does it again!
David Yeates | MANDEVILLE, LOUISIANA USA | 03/15/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Anders keeps thrilling local Lousiana audiences with his great voice and guitar in live shows from Jazz Fest to all the best local New Orleans clubs. And this new disc keeps the fire burning on his collective recorded output...another disc that will please New Orleans music, roots rock, blues and R and B fans alike...great guitar, vocals, songwriting, and thoughful production from Leon Medica. After surviving the demons of overindulgence several years back, Anders has reformed his life and vision in a positive and intelligent manner that is evident throughout "Ash Wednesday Blues.""
Snake Bite Love
Lee Armstrong | Winterville, NC United States | 05/19/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Anders Osborne gives another great CD with Ash Wednesday Blues. His recordings are impressively consistent with variety and quality. "Stoned, Drunk & Naked" starts off as a hot rocker. "Ho-Di-Ko-Di-Ya-La-Ma-La" is a "set my a*s on fire" party time that sounds like updated ragtime. "Every Bit of Love" slows the tempo with a bluesy acoustic arrangement with saxophone and guitar. Keb' Mo' joins in on banjo and background vocals on "Stuck On My Baby." I enjoyed the lyric, "like a diamond in a silver mine." My favorite track is "Snake Bit," an infectious blues where Anders sings, "trouble doesn't always win in the end." Anders shows good variety with the next few songs. We kind of shuffle and skip through "Soul Livin'." "Me & Lola" is a sax ballad. "Kingdom Come" boogies. "Life is Strange" is slow and mournful. Percussion with drum and bass propels "Aim Way High." "Improvise" is uptempo with a great joyful lyric, "got to let the good things ride." The CD closes with two beautiful ballads. The title track sings about those who are "full of themselves, but no heart." "Through & Through" is a pure love song. It ends with two spoken lines: Anders, I believe, sighs, "That was sweet." Keb' Mo' who played guitar laughs, "Now you can get laid." This CD has great spirit, good songwriting, and is a lot of fun. Check it out!"
Hello, Anders
W. Bulk | 06/20/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I didn't know a dang thing about Anders Osborne. Had never heard of him until an NPR feature introduced us. Based on that interview, I bought "Ash Wednesday Blues". I like this a lot!"
Top Five
W. Bulk | Cary, NC | 05/27/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Ash Wednesday Blues is one of my personal top five albums of all time. Each song transends you to New Orleans through raw drum beats, saxaphone licks and unbelievable slide guitar. I was lucky enough to see Anders in Raleigh a couple of years ago and was blown away. He's yet to come back, but you better believe I check every month to see if he's touring. If you have the chance to pick up this album or even see him live, I highly recommend you doing so."