29.04.08. By Søren Chr. Kirkegaard
The experienced singer and guitarist René Evald
really comes through with a successful album after
a comprehensive career without the big breakthrough.
that´s what I got, when I listened to the new album
"Copenhagen Time" from René Evald. Pleasant because
this is a surprisingly good cd.
That I didn´t know that much about Evald is possibly my fault, because he has
been on the danish music scene since the late sixties playing in different constellations and genres from soul, acid rock, blues and country. Amongst others as a frontman in Big Mama and Buffalo, although without the great breakthrough.
But now he really comes through with this new cd, that shows his format as a singer and guitarplayer.
His voice is good and has character, but especially as a guitarplayer he exels with his airy and bouncy playing. From the beginning in the opening track "Not Fade Away" you hear this very delicious guitarsound and it continues in songs like John Hiatts "The River" and the old Cream hit "Sunshine of Your Love" etc.
Evald especially likes the ballads, but he sings and plays songs by Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie with great authenticity, and this successful mixture of folk, rock and country is garnished with a couple of blues classics.
Evald characterizes this laidback beautiful sound as laidback arrangements, but I also think that names as Mark Knopfler, Eric Clapton and J.J.Cale springs to mind.
Of course it is René Evald that you hear most, but he gets good musical backing from his old partner Henrik Littauer on piano and accordion, Lynge Wagner on pedal steel guitar and dobro, Jens Elboel on bass, Jesper Grandetoft on drums and Louise Stoejberg background vocals.
René Evald is by the way also revealing a talent as a songwriter on the titelsong, and this should be followed by more.
René Evald: Copenhagen Time
BackUpMusic (2008)
