Review: Rune Robert Friis – Built For Comfort, Vol. 2
Rune Robert Friis – Built For Comfort, Vol. 2
Format: CD – Vinyl LP – Digital / Label: Independent
Release: 2024
Text: Tom Wouters
Rune Robert Friis is a Danish songwriter (and bassist), who recorded ten of his own songs on ‘Built For Comfort, Vol. 2’ with a number of Scandinavian musicians, of whom vocalist Sarah Jane Westphal, guitarist Jesper Heinz, drummer Kristian Hoff and Friis himself on bass guitar, form the core. It results in a varied album with jazzy blues and soul.
It is especially the songs with a horn section that stick the most, such as the soul ballad Annabelle, the Bo Diddley riff in Glitter & Dirt and the slow blues Gin Gin Mule with beautiful slide guitar playing by Heinz. These are also the songs that give vocalist Sarah Jane Westphal the chance to show her jazzy voice, such as in the jazzy ballad Keep Warm, which, although without horns but therefore with excellent organ and piano accompaniment by Rasmus Stenholm, can be considered one of the highlights of ‘Built For Comfort, Vol. 2.’
Also striking are the two songs, that Friis almost single-handedly recorded in the studio. One-Dimensional Man is a funky track, for which Friis himself provided the vocals and programmed the horns, and Milkman, which is Scandinavian folk with Friis on acoustic guitar and Perry Stenbäck on key harp.
Built For Comfort, vol. 2 has become a varied jazzy blues album with mostly strongly arranged songs.
Tracks:
01. Running On Empty (By Rune R. Friis)
Sarah Jana Westphal (vocals), Kenn Lending (Guitar), Rasmus Stenholm (organ),
Jesper Heinz (guitar), Kristian Hoff (drums), Rune Robert Friis (bass)
02. Annabelle (By Rune R. Friis)
Sarah Jana Westphal (vocals), Michael Olsen (saxophone), Hans Christian Erbs (trumpet), Stefan Friis Ringive (trombone), Jesper Heinz (acoustic guitar), Jan Hansen (synthesizer), Jesper Iversen (percussion), Kristian Hoff (drums), Rune Robert Friis (bass)
03. Glitter & Dirt (By Rune R. Friis)
Nils-Ole Poulin (vocals), Sarah Jana Westphal (vocals), Jesper Heinz (guitar), Jan Hansen (organ), Michael Olsen (saxophone), Hans Christian Erbs (trumpet), Stefan Friis Ringive (trombone), Kristian Hoff (drums & percussion), Rune Robert Friis (bass)
04. Gin Gin Mule (By Rune R. Friis)
Sarah Jana Westphal (vocals), Jesper Heinz (guitar), Rasmus Stenholm (organ & piano), Michael Olsen (saxophone), Hans Christian Erbs (trumpet), Stefan Friis Ringive (trombone), Jesper Heinz (guitar), Kristian Hoff (drums), Rune Robert Friis (bass)
05. One-Dimensional Man (By Rune R. Friis)
Rune Robert Friis (vocals, bass, guitar, programming), Kenn Lending (guitar), Sarah Jana Westphal (vocals)
06. Milkman (By Rune R. Friis)
Rune Robert Friis (guitar), Perry Stenbäck (nyckelharpa)
07. Boomer Bends (By Rune R. Friis)
Sarah Jana Westphal (vocals), Perry Stenbäck (guitar), Jesper Heinz (guitar), Kristian Hoff (drums), Rune Robert Friis (bass)
08. Sweet Delta Maze (By Rune R. Friis)
Sarah Jana Westphal (vocals), Jan Hansen (piano), Jesper Heinz (guitar), Kristian Hoff (drums), Rune Robert Friis (bass & piano)
09. Gritty Street (By Rune R. Friis)
Chris Grey (guitar & vocals), Sarah Jana Westphal (vocals), Jesper Heinz (guitar), Jesper Iversen (percussion), Kristian Hoff (drums), Rune Robert Friis (bass)
10. Keep Warm (By Rune R. Friis)
Sarah Jana Westphal (vocals), Jesper Heinz (guitar), Rasmus Stenholm (organ & piano), Kristian Hoff (drums), Rune Robert Friis (bass)
Website: https://www.runerobertfriis.com/