Christina Skjolberg
Album: Come And Get It
Label: RUF
Tracks: 11
Website: http://www.christinaskjolberg.com

I've written elsewhere in Fatea about the growing impact of Scandinavians across a plethora of musical genres, in the case of Norway's Christina Skjolberg, blues. The driver behind that being a professional attitude across the scene, musicians getting paid, clubs providing trained sound engineers creating an environment where people genuinely think they can give it a go.

Southpaw guitarist Skjolberg was inspired to the blues by fellow leftie, Jimi Hendrix, an artist whose image can be found inked on her left shoulder. Skjolberg broke out from her small island home on Smola and hit the blues clubs cementing quite a reputation which brought her to the attention of Thomas Ruf, who immediately signed her to his Ruf label to record her debut album and partake in the annual Blues Caravan tour with British newcomer, Laurence Jones and Albert Castiglia.

I have only one negative criticism of "Come And Get It" and that's the clichéd and sexist sleeve, surely the design team could have come up with a cover that emphasised her considerable music talent, rather than focusing on her look.

Beyond a doubt, Skjolberg is an exceptional talent when it comes to playing the axe, she's no mean vocalist and together the fusion of passion and fire impacts like a longship hitting the sure, with a sure and certain knowledge of what is to come. Her music hits hard, very hard, this is in your face and through your chest blues.

That said she has built an album that doesn't just rely on shock and awe, there is a more laid back, more mellow side to her sound and that is used to provide real balance to thealbum, particularly where it's blended with some top Hammond. Make no mistake "Come And Get It" is one heck of a debut and I can only advise you do what the title asks to access some great blues.

Neil King