Skip to content
Elly Roberts reviews
Ruf Records
- February 2008
- Rating: 8/10
- Vote and comment on this album:
Young Turkette: Plays like an old hand.
Dani Wilde hasnt made it to free online encyclopaedia Wikipedia. At thisrate it wont be long before she does. The future looks very promising for 21year old Brighton-based Dani Wilde.
Shes a rare bird in terms of the Blues. Most ladies tend to be Blues shouters(there are exceptions Lisa Mills, Bonnie Raitt). Wilde is more Blues wailerand bit of a revelation too.
For a young gun, she certainly knows how to pack a punch, when needed. Theresnothing gratuitous about her singing of guitar work its measured and stirring.
Her voice and guitar playing are instruments of mass destruction.
She could trade places with many a blues icon right now even.
Heal My Blues is a mix of romping R&B, nuclear blasts and tender soulfulblues ballads. Whats even more remarkable is that shes written all the songs(except Im Going Down Norman Whitfield, Little By Little London/Wells,in The Mood JL Hooker) with her hot band of four bringing the best outof the tracks.
Having gained a BA Honours Degree in music, shes well blessed with theory and practiceall pooled onto this excellent collection. Shes done her homework, and itspaid off.
Making an impressive start, shes gone for the ultimate hook – a short solo andharmonica break by bro Will Wilde that prefix a stomping Bring Your Loving Home.Its the same old story, of supposed infidelity. Towards the songs close, sheunleashes a deft solo rubber-stamping her quality.
On the R&B groove of Heal My Blues she unleashes another cannon hersqueal: its sexy and cute. Come Undone is your standard Blues throbbingromp, dripping in more harmonica and yet another disciplined solo at its key point.On I Love You More she goes for a more hangdog approach with the everpresent Will blowing his harp in a sensual and dig-deep style. This track bringsback memories of Led Zeppelins I Can Quit You Babe, with Dani dazzlingas she masterfully sustains some impressive notes, probably the best on the album.
She also finds her mojo on the heartfelt lyrics. Im In The Mood is yerDelta blues: sparse, intoxicating, soulful. This is also her finest vocalperformance. Vocally, comparisons have been made with Joss Stone, and it surfaceson Norman Whitfields Im Going Down. Her singing style has morphedonce again – its beguiling, punchy and very powerful on this soulful classic.Its much of the same for closer People Like You.
This acoustic lead ballad sees Wilde giving yet another stunning vocal performance.Lyrically, Heal My Blues deals with the genres standard issues, heartache,misery, love and hope, all rolled into a fantastic debut.
Catch her live at Telfords Warehouse Chester on Saturday 4 June. Free before 10pm. £4 after.
File under: Could be a sensation.
Weblink:daniwilde.com /myspace.com/daniwildemusic
The full list of tracks included are :
1. Bring Your Loving Home
2. Heal My Blues
3. Come Undone
4. I Love You More Than I Hate Myself
5. I Want Your Loving
6. Testify
7. In The Mood
8. Im Going Down
9. Slow Coach
10. Little By Little
11. People Like You
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.