SBB, the Polish band that once started in 1971 as Silesian Blues Band, has released their fourteenth studio album. These legendary representatives of the Polish music scene now recorded Blue Trance, an album that once more includes many musical styles. These musicians can just as easily play blues and jazz as rock and progressive rock. On the eleven brand-new tracks we can hear it all. Józef Skrzek (keyboards, vocals, bass), Apostolis Anthimos (guitars) and Gabor Nemeth (drums) are capable to play all these different styles or blend them into a perfect melting pot. Unfortunately their music isn't always everyone's taste. I have to admit that I rather hear Józef Skrzek sing in the English language than in his mother tongue. For a lot of West European people, Polish doesn't sound that pleasant. Moreover, the difficult musical structures don't often appeal to a wide audience, but I must say that their music always sounds very mature and rich in emotions. Especially the MiniMoog-solos show a lot of expression that many modern progressive rock bands often lack. Blue Trance was recorded at the RecRublica Studios in Lubrza by Sebastian Witkowski. As far as the production is concerned this album sounds very transparent. You'll hear a lot of details in the music just like on their previous album Iron Curtain (2009). What strike me most are the more song-orientated compositions. That doesn't mean that you can't enjoy guitar and synthesizer solos on this album. You'll be treated on several splendid solos by Skrzek and Anthimos. We can even hear them in a duet on Coda Trance which belongs to the highlights on this album. But also songs as Etiuda Trance, Święto Dioni, Karida Beach and Szczęście Jak Na Dłoni are great progressive rock tunes. After all these years I still find it surprising that SBB succeed in entertaining me with their complex music. They seem to have no problems at all to come up with good music over and over again. Their inspiration seems to be infinite. Good for them because this way we will enjoy their music for many years to come. *** Henri Strik (edited by Peter Willemsen) Where to buy? |
