Review: Guy Verlinde & Tom Eylenbosch – Promised Land Blues
Guy Verlinde & Tom Eylenbosch – Promised Land Blues
Format: CD – Vinyl LP – Digital
Label: BANDR Music
Text: Pascal Wilhelm
On this acoustic album (guitars, banjo, harmonica, keys, and voices), Guy Verlinde (The hardest working man in Belgian blues) and Tom Eylenbosch bring a fresh and crispy mix of eleven acoustic blues.
‘Promised Land Blues’ is Guy’s fourteenth (!) album. His musical path has always been blues infused; he started out as the bluesrocker Lightnin’ Guy (with The Mighty Gators), after which he navigated towards playing as a singer-songwriter in the folk and americana genre under his own name. With this new album, he picks up on the blues again.
Blues gives Guy the language to bring important messages using only few words. He hopes people will listen, dance and think when hearing his music. What is nice about his songs is that he touches upon serious issues (Tears Over Gaza, World Goin’ Wrong) without losing his credibility as a blues musician. Some attempts in the same vein hopelessly fail because the message and the music do not align well. But not in Guy’s case.
Together, Guy and Tom won the 2024 Belgian Blues Award for best duo. Their relationship is a musical one, but Tom being younger Guy, he almost feels like a mentor to him. But don’t underestimate the talent Tom already possesses; “When Tom would stay with me for too long, I did the wrong thing”, Guy says. “With his talent, he can easily travel to other blues worlds.”
Guy mentions J.B. Lenoir’s Alabama blues as an important influence. Indeed, this song has a strong message put in simple words (I never will love Alabama, Alabama never seem to have love for me), right up Guys alley. Tom and Guy also honor Tiny Legs Tim on this album with Hard to admit. “Tim was an inspiration, Belgian blues musicians owe him a lot, he led them the way and taught them so much. His albums ‘Melodium Rag’ and ‘Elsewhere Bound’ are classics.”
His return to the roots of the blues suits Guy well; “I am thinking of dedicating myself again to the blues alone. The album ‘Promised Land Blues’ feels like I am entering a new blues phase for myself.”
Tracks:
01. Heaven Inside My Head
02. Tears Over Gaza
03. A Worried Man Blues
04. I’ve Got You
05. You Gotta Move
06. Reckonin’ Blues
07. Gotta Let Go
08. Hard to Admit
09. Do That Boogie
10. Pursuit of Happiness
11. World Goin’ Wrong
Guy Verlinde: zang, gitaar, percussie & bezem
Tom Eylenbosch: achtergrondzang, piano, banjo & wasbord
GASTEN
Olivier Vander Bauwede: harmonica (on 06, 09)
Steven Troch: harmonica (on 03, 04, 08)
René Stock: double bass (on 03, 07 ,08)
Temmy J.: backing (on 01, 03, 06, 07)
John Olus Gospel Choir: backing (on 05)
Website: https://guyverlinde.com/