Richard Gjems - 2022 - The Youtube Sessions 2020/21

(46:03; That's Entertainment Records / Apollon Records)

Track list:
1. Strange Love 2:41
2. Moon Going Down 4:21
3. Harmonica Holler 2:33
4. Rock Me Baby 4:01
5. Devil Got My Woman 4:31
6. John Hardy 1:57
7. Come Back Baby 2:54
8. Found Love 2:23
9. Twelve Gates to the City 3:12
10. Blue Mandolin 1:44
11. Cool Drink of Water Blues 3:40
12. Poor Black Mattie 3:01
13. See That My Grave Is Kept Clean 2:07
14. Illinois Blues 3:21
15. Love That Burns 3:37

Line-up:
Richard Gjems - vocals, harmonica, guitar, mandolin


Norwegian artist Richard Gjems has established himself as a top notch harmonica player over a number of years, contributing live and in the studio for a number of Norwegian as well as international artists. This spring he released his first ever solo album, "The YouTube Sessions 2020/21", through the Norwegian labels That's Entertainment Records and Apollon Records.

I understand that these songs were recorded during the Corona pandemic, and as the album title indicates the material was the result of sessions recorded and presumably released on YouTube in that period, alongside many other songs. The material is partially cover versions, partially traditional songs and with a few originals featured as well.

This is very much a down to Earth production on all levels, with Gjems handling all vocal and instrument duties himself, and without any studio overdubs from what I can hear. An acoustic guitar, occasionally with a mandolin in place of the guitar, the harmonica Gjems is best known for, and vocals. The occasional use of rhythms is limited to foot tapping or tapping on the guitar case: While I'm not at all an expert in such matters I believe both are present here.

Most of the songs are fairly slowly paced, and the very nature of the recording conditions makes the songs sparse and extremely honest in orientation and execution. This is blues of the kind the one man artist might play on the street with a hat or a bucket to collect tips from passing listeners or the one man artist performing on a small stage in a small club. Very much roots music without any frills or effects.

The harmonica details are the obvious highlights on this production, with a couple of purebred harmonica solo cuts as the clear highlights as far as I'm concerned. Where this album falls a bit flat for me is on two levels: While the guitar playing showcase some fine details there's not enough here to lift that part of the performance to any higher level. And in the vocal department Gjems has a fine, well controlled and melodic voice, but he lacks the raw emotional delivery the very best blues singers master to be able to carry the songs on raw passion alone. In essence the songs strikes me as technical rather than emotional, with the harmonica details the element that manage to shine quite a bit brighter than the other aspects of the performances here.

For those with a passionate interest for blues in general and the core roots of blues music in particular I suspect this will be quite the intriguing album. How broad the appeal of this production is beyond that crowd I'm unsure about, but if real old school, roots oriented acoustic blues with liberal amounts of harmonica is within your field of interest, this is an album you probably will find to be a rewarding one to get more familiar with.

Olav M. Björnsen, May 2022

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/Thats-Entertainment-Records-1026399310873384/
https://www.apollonrecords.no/