- Limited Edition - Pressed in Germany
Less a summit meeting of two bluesmen from different continents than a cozy, loose musical conversation between friends who share similar interests, Visions is a low-key but poignant album whose charms grow stronger as it progresses. American soul/roots singer/songwriter Terry Evans is probably better known through his background singing for Ry Cooder and a few Cooder produced releases with fellow vocalist Bobby King than his impressive solo recordings.
Hans Theessink, who is also a singing, songwriting guitarist (he blows harp here as well), hails from the Netherlands and is well known in Europe for a bulging collection of solo discs dating back to 1970. Both push the boundaries of soul, blues, gospel, and roots music and have worked extensively together in the past. This 2008 collaboration finds the duo joining with percussionist Phil Block and Richard Thompson (on electric guitar for two tracks) for a relaxed, predominately acoustic set of eclectic covers and a few older, rearranged catalog items from both men that sound almost unrehearsed in their natural spontaneity
Visions brings together two deep blues voices. Hans Theessink, one of Europe's most respected keepers of the genre, and Terry Evans, whose music carries the heritage of his Mississippi ancestors, connect here like soulmates united by music. The pairing of Theessink's deep, emotive baritone with Evans' gospel-colored tenor makes this record one of the year's best acoustic outings. Recorded over two days in Los Angeles, Visions strips down to only to Theessink's and Evans' guitars on five of it's 13 tunes. The only additions are Phil Bloch's percussive touches on the remaining tracks and Richard Thompson's electric guitar on two songs.The album mixes well-written originals with novel interpretations of American classics.
In a fresh take on Memphis Slim's "Mother Earth," Theessink's graveyard-call lead vocal is answered by both men harmonizing the chorus. On J.B.Lenoir's oft-recorded "Talk To Your Daughter," Evans quietly pleads the message as he and Theessink boogie on guitars. Fats Domino's "Let The Four Winds Blow" boasts a friendly back-porch vibe, thanks to Thompson's breezy guitar lines and Theessink's effortless slide work. On Willie Dixon's "You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover," Evans' voice leads until the song's final minute, when Bo Diddley speaks the closing verses and the guitar licks transform into Diddley's signature riff.The originals range from Theessink's "Going Back Home," where his harp and Evans' guitar pay homage to great duos such as Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, to "Vicksburg is my Home," a sultry Delta piece Theessink wrote in honor of of Evans' birthplace.
The record closes with Evans' seven-minute "Come to the River," an autobiographical rap that recalls the Sunday baptism services every child of the Delta remembers. Evans' ministerial calls and Theessink's responses conjure the powerful sway a man of the cloth holds over his flock.
Art Tipaldi, Blues Revue (USA) December/January 2009
1. Demons - Hans Theessink & Terry Evans (3.02)
2. Mother Earth - Hans Theessink & Terry Evans (5.15)
3. Glory of Love - Hans Theessink & Terry Evans (3.37)
4. Gotta Keep Moving - Hans Theessink & Terry Evans (7.05)
5. Vicksburg Is My Home - Hans Theessink & Terry Evans (6.17)
6. Bougeois Blues - Hans Theessink & Terry Evans (3.54)
7. Don't Let the Green Grass Fool You - Hans Theessink & Terry Evans (7)
8. Cross Road Blues - Hans Theessink & Terry Evans (4.53)
9. Maybelline - Hans Theessink & Terry Evans (6.06)
10. Delta Time - Hans Theessink & Terry Evans (3)
11. Talk to Your Daughter - Hans Theessink & Terry Evans (4.26)
12. Shelter from the Storm - Hans Theessink & Terry Evans (4.46)
13. I Need Money - Hans Theessink & Terry Evans (4.38)
14. Tears Are Rolling - Hans Theessink & Terry Evans (5.54)
