Voodoo Ramble - 2025 - In the Heart Of The City

(35:44; Voodoo Ramble)






















Track list:
1. In the Heart of the City 3:27
2. Take You Home 3:45
3. Midnight Ride 4:15
4. I’m a Bluesman Baby 3:22
5. 4000 Years Old 3:08
6. Don’t Leave Me 4 Good 3:44
7. Walk Away 3:22
8. Cold Hearted Woman 3:56
9. I Refuse (To Feel the Blues) 3:35
10. Addicted to the Rush 3:10

Line-up:
Boris Dugi-Novacki (Zamba) - vocals, guitars, bass
Damir Somen - drums
Neven Resnik - keyboards
Zeljko Kambic - trumpet
Goran Jurkovic - saxophone
Nikola Fabijanic - saxophone
Ana Cakovic - backing vocals
Ana-Maria Ocvirk - backing vocals
with:
Muddy Manninen - guitars
Mick Pini - guitars
Marcus Flynn - guitars
Pete Feenstra - lyrics


Croatian band Voodoo Ramble has been a going entity since 2010, and following some years as a more strict cover band they started to record and release their own, original material a few years back. From what I can see they have four full length albums to their name as of 2025. The most recent of these is "In the Heart of the City", which was self released in the spring of 2025.

This is a band that is all about the rock and the blues, and exploring manners in which to combine these distinctly related styles in catchy and captivating manners. With a little bit of emphasis on the guitar as far as highlighting the blues aspects of the band's material, with a liberal array of flowing guitar solo runs and slide guitar action being present throughout this studio production.

The most distinct feature of the band is that they sound like a band based in the US, and possibly born and bred there too. This is an album that would be right at home on any US radio station with a focus on blues and rock, without anyone ever suspecting that the band originated in what used to be called Eastern Europe. While this doesn't say all that much about the music as such, the mood and atmosphere is also important for albums of this nature in my opinion. And I know that many find that US-sounding variety of blues and rock blends to be attractive in its own right.

We do get quite a bit of variety on this album too. We have a couple of songs that play around with just a little bit of stadium rock, as well as a little bit of a dabble or dip into the blues based hard rock section on occasion. The electric variety of the traditional blues comes into play on a few occasions too, a little bit of a Southern vibe exist as undercurrents on a track or two, and we alos gets songs whee the brass comes in to add a little bit of a soul inspired expansion. With a couple of well executed ballads finding their way onto the album too, as well as a couple of more playful affairs. One of the latter which reminded me ever so slightly of semi-obscure US rock band Snail, and the sound they explored on their debut album back in the late 1970s.

I do get quite a bit of a 70s feel for this album too, in terms of style, mood and execution. While the mix and production is a bit more polished than what used to be the case back then, I'm left with the impression and association for this to be a creation that does come with quite a bit of 70s blues rock charm as well as a little bit of swagger.

If you enjoy a little bit more of a retro-inspired take on blues rock, electric blues and blues based hard rock, and enjoy this type of music wrapped up in a 70s radio friendly manner, then this is an album that you should find to be quite the rewarding experience I gather.

Olav M. Björnsen, October 2025

Links:
https://www.voodooramble.com/

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