T-Bear & The Dukes of Rhythm - Let The Sweet Talk Flow (review)
T-Bear & The Dukes of Rhythm - Let The Sweet Talk Flow (El Toro; El Toro R&B 205)
reviewed by Michael Macomber
Dukes of Rhythm guitarist and vocalist “T-Bear” would be one of the finest young blues players in Chicago, if not for this simple fact: he’s not from Chicago. He’s from Sweden. His real name is Torbjörn Solberg, and he plays like a cross between B.B. King and Chuck Berry. His blues wail has a bit of an Elvis growl in it and his original songs are as badass as any of the classics.
Let The Sweet Talk Flow kicks off with a real shoulder shaker, Solberg’s own “Boogie And Soul.” “Lipstick Woman,” another Solberg composition, sidles up smoothly, supported by a seductive organ sound courtesy of Berth Arnesson. The band’s rendition of “Barefootin’” is a showcase for sax masters Jan-Olof Appel, Göran Ramberg, and Jan Nilsson. Drummer Tore van Baalen throws down an easy swing on “She Moves Me,” and rips it up on “That’s What The Blues Is All About.”
Van Baalen and bassist Jan Lillsäter form the backbone of this incredible outfit, giving the Dukes their rhythm. These two players hold every tune together just right — not too tightly, not too loosely.
The Dukes other guitarist, Fredrik Myhrberg, is the ideal compliment to Solberg. Both men have the boogie woogie way down inside, and both can make a guitar cry like it’s the end of the world. Trading licks on one tune after another, they call up favorable comparisons with the best artists of the Great American Blues Book — while writing their own brand new chapter.
