Stylistically, the spectrum ranges from acoustic contributions, boogie woogie and lowdown blues to luscious R&B with powerful horn sections. – Graphic designer, sound engineer, producer, promo agency and label a.o. waive a fee in favor of the participating musicians, all net proceeds from sales go to the artists’ accounts!

Elegant 6-page digi-sleeve with 24-page booklet with biographies of the participating artists.

Notes by Dirk Fohrs (bluesnews.de) and Bill Dahl from Chicago. They say necessity is the mother of invention. Right now, we’re seeing plenty of evidence of that. The effects of the ongoing Corona crisis have forced many of us to scramble and that includes blues musicians: With the closure of live music venues and cancellation of major festivals, they’ve seen their main source of income dry up overnight. Many of them have taken to extraordinary measures to make ends meet, like the countless living room concerts being live-streamed on social media. Denied the chance to perform in front of audiences, it’s their virtual way of passing the hat – and whatever goes in helps each musician survive these tough times.

On the surface, ‘Lockdown Sessions’ came about for similar reasons. The musicians involved are facing the same problems. Yet this border-crossing production is far more than a mere call for support. It’s a one-of-a-kind double CD that brings together more than 30 acclaimed blues practitioners from all over the world, who’ve united to combat cabin fever and transcend physical separation while the world is on lockdown. The project was spearheaded by Roger C. Wade, an England native considered one of the most outstanding harmonica blowers in Europe. As clubs began closing and gigs started evaporating, Wade reached out to musician friends in Germany, where he’s been based since the early 1990s. He and a few others started trading song ideas, unaware of where this time-killing exercise was heading. A worthy project for FAN SUPPORT!!

Lockdown Sessions: An International Down Home Blues Revue

Various Artists

Label: Crosscut Records
Release date: 24 July 2020

Track Listings
Disc: 1
1. Tommy Schneller – Lockdown Blues
2. Aki Kumar – Can’t Get Too Close
3. Maddy Arlt – Personal Shutdown
4. Abi Wallenstein; Roger C. Wade – Death Letter Blues
5. Fred Kaplan – Mean Old Quarantine
6. Michael van Merwyk – Low-Down Lockdown
7. Roger C. Wade; Andreas Arlt – Get Me Outta Here
8. Timo Gross; Krissy Matthews – Blow A Poor Man Down
9. Christian Bleiming; Andreas Bock – Boogie Galore
10. Little Victor Mac – The Death Of Louisiana Red
11. Andreas Arlt – Home Alone Stomp
12. Kai Strauss – World Crisis Blues
13. Ferdinand Kraemer – Be Ready When He Comes

Disc: 2
1. Larry Garner – Why You Lie
2. Nico Duportal – Hey Sweet Marie
3. Abi Wallenstein; Victor Puertas – Destination Mississippi
4. Wilson Blount – Come See About Me
5. Andreas Arlt; Roger C. Wade – I Know
6. Tommy Schneller – Sax Supreme
7. Michael van Merwyk – Fuck You, Mr. Virus
8. Veronica Sbergia – I Can Tell The World
9. Christian Bleiming – Lockdown Shuffle
10. Aki Kumar – Everything Has Changed
11. N. James; Victor Puertas – Come What May
12. Jens Turowski – Give Me My Heart Back

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