Saturday 20 February 2010

Sweet Solo Music


What to do when your drummer has left the country and your bass player is without a job, but has a recording studio and plenty of time, and you have been writing once again a bunch of songs. Well of course you should go and record them, and that´s just what Henri Keefmen did. Using here the less pretentious monnicker of Henri Soulmann. The result is 11 songs, that pretty much show his songwriting skills and the music he likes, like sixties, soul and rock´n´roll.
For those who are familiar with the classic solo recording of Mark ten Hoor "Back to the Wenaker", this is done in similar vein. Peter Cruise (As he now seems to be called) again has out done himself in "orchestrating" the great songs, adding an organ, a bit of fuzz or some basslines. Listen for instance to the fuzz driven "Butterflies", perhaps this is freakbeat??? I have no idea. Or the moody "I truly cry" and "About our love" with a fine organ arrangement and the fanatastic and probably my favorite "Have you seen her".
Fortunately it´s not done all over the top, there are some more acoustic tunes here as well, like the intense "Don´t aks me", the sad "Freezing on a Summerday", the uptempo shouter "All your love", and the catchy "Be that guy", the last two were actually recorded by Henri himself. As expected there´s some place for straight ahead rock´n´roll, and Henri sure loves his Johnny Cash records as is quite evident in the Johnny Cash styled rocker "Doin´ time". And also Hasil Adkins springs to mind hearing "Oeh Ie Ah Oehhh!" Perhaps only not as insane. As a nice surprise he included a version of soul classic "I never loved a woman (the way I loved you) penned by Ronnie Shannon, recorded by many like Jackie Wilson and Aretha Franklin and now Henri Soulmann. His version: it´s crude, raw, wild and great!!!
Be sure to drop by Henri Soulmann´s myspace, and get yourselve a copy. It will be definetely worth the effort.

2 comments:

  1. HENRI SOULMANN Sweet Solo Music
    Beside the hilarious title of this CD this side project from the tall handsome Keefman straight from the country side Henri Soulmann is anything but a joke. Singer song writer Henri Soulmann already showed us his talents in the Miracle Men and still does in the Keefmen but here we find him simply with his acoustic guitar and his distinct vocals. Backed up with all the necessary evils as organ, back up vocals, fuzz and some electric guitar by the man who produced this lovely little CD Peter Cruise. Some of the songs swing some give you the feeling you are sitting in a field of flowers in a good way some make you want to take your life but all in a good way. Hitsongs yes 'Be That Guy', 'Butterflies' and the biggest 'Have You Seen Her'. Combine that with a neatly done sleeve you'll get the a fore mentioned handsome stuff this is a true fucking winner. It's the second official release on Soulmann Records and I know you interested so write the man a long loving letter to Langestraat 41 7891 GB Klazienaveen as said country side! Holland and I bet he is on one of those magnificient internet networks. (LES)

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  2. Superb reviews! Thanks.. and it's still Kroes btw.

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