Robert Hill was early caught by Woodie Guthrie’s music and it was natural that he soon also got to be inspired by others like Lightnin’ Hopkins, Reverend Gary Davis and of course the inevitable Bob Dylan. With Guthrie as the obvious guiding star these influences characterize his music on the debut album “What Are We Waiting For”, which was released this Autumn.

Brian Kramer, with his earthy blues fingers, has produced the album and guests on two of the tracks with his guitar. Besides that  it’s just Robert we meet, with his acoustic guitar and sometimes his harmonica, on the 13 blues and folk songs. I think it’s an impressive album where he, despite the distance in time and space, and with only 20 years of age, makes it feel so authentic, close and honest. Authentic meaning that it’s Robert we meet, his stories, feelings, frustrations and view of the world. Add to this an excellent blues and folk guitar and you have an album that is easy to get caught by.

I’m afraid I can’t find any listening links at the moment, but I will update as soon as they show up. Meanwhile you can taste the album in the two songs below.

Robert Hill on Facebook

Debt blues
Talking Blues blues 

A year and a half ago I wrote a post on Brian Kramer and his live album from Club Stampen. This time, though, he’s all alone. It’s just about Brian, his acoustic guitar(s) and you. As close and intimate as it gets.

He sneaks away into the Mississippi delta, he takes a tour to Amsterdam, he let the blues take a stroll along childhood lanes and relationships and even have a look at an old pocket watch. It’s naked and straight on and no excessive outbreaks. And just like with the other album, I feel a nice mellow warmth, and especially in the more melodic storytelling songs, I get a feeling of John Hiatt, who also have a special way of spreading warmth around him.

Here are two tracks from “Myself and Mine”:

Journey to the Delta
My Precious Stone

You can find Brian Kramer on his Myspace page and on his site

I thought it was time for some blues again. This time with the blues veteran Brian Kramer, who have recently released the album “Live at Club Stampen” under the name Brian Kramer & the Nights of Blu-topia. Brian invites us to an intimate and soulful performance in the company of great musicians like Mats Qwarfordt, “Iron Hand” Mike Haglund, Marcelo Nunez and Peter Freij.

It’s a wonderful collection of songs that Brian presents here. I find a nice earthy, positive (can I say that?) blues, together with folk music and bluegrass, which makes my feet move, and also nice bluesy singer/songwriter tunes. Good music, of course, always comes from within, but somewhere I feel that the blues lies as close as you can get to the soul. And judging from what I hear it would be real nice to meet a person like Brian Kramer.

Of course you should go to Brian Kramer’s site and his Myspace page to read more about him and to listen more to his music.

Here’s two tracks from Brian Kramer and the Nights of Blutopias’ “Live at Club Stampen”:

I Get It Wrong
Everything Is Headed Somewhere