Black Patti
Album: No Milk No Sugar
Label: Rhythm Bomb
Tracks: 12
Website: http://www.black-patti.de

This is an excellent 12 tracker from a quality German duo. Oddly enough, Germany seems to be producing some truly interesting pre-war blues acts these days. Anyone familiar with the work of The Delta Boys, another German duo with a genuine feel and engagement with the music, will have a fair idea of what to expect here. With Mando and acoustic guitar picking and slide work, together with fine Harp in the mix, No Milk No Sugar has a powerful, driving sound that easily belies the fact there are but two guys pouring out the mix onto analog equipment with ribbon mikes and period instruments.

Material ranges from old-style ragtimey pieces and instrumentals to spirituals/gospel numbers and deep South, delta blues. All of it delivered with a sparkling, comfortable ease and style. This is an album that pulses with deep blues emotion and grit. The vocals of the pair, Peter Crow C and Ferdinand Kraemer - aka Mr Jelly Roll, in Germany - combine well and the fretwork of both is always pretty well spot-on. Overall, this album is a great discovery for lovers of traditional acoustic pre-war US blues in general and modern-edge acoustic blues of gripping traditional quality coupled with more than a dash of originality. I reckon and hope to hear much more of this pair in the near future. A highly recommended bit of cool blues.

Iain Patience