Big Wolf Band - 2019 - Be Free

(51:55; Big Wolf Band)

Track list:
1. Walk in My Shoes 3:20
2. Better Man 3:40
3. Nobody's Home 3:46
4. Be Free 3:50
5. Loving Like a Fool 4:32
6. Keep Fighting Back 4:06
7. Heavy Load 5:10
8. I Don't Live for Tomorrow 3:13
9. Never That Easy 3:49
10. Looking in Your Eyes 3:46
11. Sweet Talking 3:29
12. Super Animal 2:45
13. Just Can't Find You 6:29

Line-up:
Zoe Green - vocals
Jonathan Earp - guitars
Tim Jones - drums
Mick Jeynes - bass
Paul Brambani - keyboards, Hammond


UK group Big Wolf Band has been a going entity since 2014, and from what I can gather they are quite the active unit in the UK live scene too. Over the years they have also started to document their creative skills in the studio, with two albums to their name so far. "Be Free" is the second of those studio statements, and was self released by the band in 2019.

Blues rock is the name of the game for this production, and the band have opted for a more US-sounding variety of the style here. The songs are steady going, the organ is a vital support instrument, and the guitar solo runs tend to be flowing and elegant.

Many of the songs here are smooth and pleasantly easygoing affairs, material that perhaps isn't too exciting for a broader audience to encounter but songs that will be needed, wanted and desired to be featured by what I presume is the band's main audience. A very nice and suitably powerful vocalist in the shape of Zoe Green does add a bit more vibrancy to these more predictable creations, as well as to the album experience as a whole of course.

For an audience outside of a more core blues and blues rock crowd there's plenty to enjoy here too though. From the moments where the band has a go at a more electric blues expression rather than blues rock to songs where the rhythm guitar gets a dirtier expression and the songs are explored in a tighter and more vibrant manner throughout. The songs where the band adds a touch of fuel and funk to the proceedings are also livelier and more interesting affairs, much the same is the case where some subtle jazz-tinged details sneak in by plan or accident.  For my sake I also found the songs with livelier and more expressive guitar solo details to be a bit more interesting, especially if being a part of any of the aforementioned variations.

"Be Free" strikes me as a creation made by a seasoned band who are well aware of what they want to accomplish. That the album kicks off with songs that are perhaps more traditional in approach and execution will ensure that genre connoisseurs will get their fill early on, and that the more expressive numbers comes later on in the album experience also means that these arguably more creative left turns comes at a stage when the traditionalists are already invested in the band and their music. In addition to providing something extra for those who tend to like this style of music but also have the need for something more as far as their taste in music is concerned. Hence I find the manner in which the album has been assembled to be a clever one.

Big Wolf Band as of 2019 is a unit that will provide US style blues rock that will appeal to traditionalists as well as those with a taste for the more creative and expressive variety of blues rock. A production that is both fish and fowl to some extent, perhaps not a brilliant production for any of those audiences but a creation that should have a solid appeal to both sets of crowds. And if a blend of more traditional and a bit more expressive blues rock sounds like a good idea to you, this is an album worth taking note of.

Olav M. Björnsen, January 2023

Links:
https://bigwolfband.com/