We have arrived in autumn, the season of mellow fruitfulness as it was described by John Keats. In these colder days, there has to be a place for the blues, and so on a rare morning off from the day job, I have settled down with my trusty cat (the children are at school) and my headphones to listen to the new album by Huddersfield based, Pat Fulgoni.
Release date: September 27.
I will dive into the press release for a moment, present the introduction to Pat Fulgoni for you, and then onto the review! Pat has sung across many genres and worked with award-winning producers, as well as touring the world as a live artist. As far as the blues goes, he cut his teeth over in the Czech Republic with various greats from that scene, performing on breakfast TV and playing the Blues Alive Festival, Sumperk. Returning to that festival in 2021 with new UK blues band Pat Fulgoni Blues Experience, one Czech reviewer wrote it was “like meeting up with an old friend” as the ou^it blazed their way onto the National TV highlights. Pat’s new blues journey with the Pat Fulgoni Blues Experience started when a local food bank fundraiser in his home town of Huddersfield demanded a set. Having seen his performances on YouTube, Fulgoni obliged and cobbled together a local line-up just before Covid kicked in. The gig was awesome and led him to want more, especially after the grim months of lockdown. Pat’s previous release “Dark Side of the Blues (Pat Fulgoni Live In Prague)’ was very well received, ‘Chicago Blues Guide’ saying
“a collection of impeccably reworked blues and rock covers.” And now, after 3 years of gigging at shows including favorites like Colne Blues, Buxton Blues, Blues Alive (Czech), Beatherder, Leeds Unity, venues and clubs including Pat’s own beloved Huddersfield Blues Club and Bluesbury festival efforts, the Pat Fulgoni Blues Experience Band is clearly a sought-after live booking, and the time is very right for an album release! With a growing listener base of 12k+ on Spotify, this album is another marker of the renewed interest in the blues from the listening public. We have a new wave of blues bubbling underground.
Onto the review, everybody! The album has nine songs and runs at just over 46 minutes.
“Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven” opens with some deep bluesy guitar, and those vocals edged with an emotionally charged delivery. Just catch that classic end to the track; it brought David Coverdale to mind. It’s a song that probably needs to be played in a small club with some passionate blues fans up front. We have lost those smoke-filled venues of old (probably not a bad thing) but this one is dying for that groove.
“Rider” opens with a funky bass and harmonica before the drums take me into a seventies groove; I kind of thought of Starsky and Hutch for some reason! This one is funky and melodic; it does a lot of switches instrumentally and the vocals are softer and have a hint of boogie, walking down that street with confidence! Although I enjoyed the piano/keyboard introduction late in the song with the harmonica again, at over 5 minutes I felt the track drifted a bit; it could have lost a minute mid-section to tighten it.
“Keep the Blues Alive” runs at over 6 minutes, making it the longest track on the album. It has that absolutely traditional blues riff straight from the book. Shirley King, BB’s daughter, noted this sound as the bedrock for traditional blues when she spoke to us about songwriting and this song fits its hat on the traditional blues peg absolutely. The lengthy guitar instrumentalization midtrack allows some cool musicianship, from the piano to that guitar break. I liked the different vibes of the track and it certainly does keep the blues alive.
“Midnight Train” was my favorite track on the album; it contains a rocky blues vibe, it’s lyrically interesting and it has a fine vocal performance. It also works as it has a decent story in the lyrics and a chorus with a strong bite.
“Bleeding Heart,” has that great harmonica/piano combination (I’m a sucker for that!). It’s the shortest track on the album, at just 3 minutes and it is a little blues-style ode to the “sweetest woman he’s ever seen.” (He’s not seen me yet, lol!)
“Lady Day & John Coltrane” is a zippy piece, and probably the one that some commercial radio shows might be interested in. It connects to that seventies vibe again; I had a sudden desire to go and find some flared trousers! This one also had a touch of that impromptu jazz that sometimes sets a session afire. I think I might have opened the album with this one.
“Confusion Blues” is traditional, well sung and fits well into the album. It was another that I think would fit well into a live set.
“The Thrill Is Gone” opens on a different key with a piano hitting the keys and providing almost a movie soundtrack for the vocals. Lyrically, traditional blues about ‘you done me wrong,’ it is a bluesy ballad.
“Sticking the knife in blues” runs to over eight minutes. It features some classy blues vocals and that rather wonderful blues piano again. It has a political message in the lyrics; broken promises abound, and it will come again! It bookends the album nicely.
In summary, Pat Fulgani is just back after a mini tour of the UK and the energy and desire within this album are clear. He is a hard-working independent musician with his own mini studio and has delivered a traditional blues album that the enthusiasts should love, as it does exactly what it says on the tin. The piano is cool listening, the vocals are on the point and the production is crisp. If not squeezing the lemon of success, it certainly slices it on a couple of those standout moments.
Standout tracks: “Midnight Train” and “Lady Day & John Coltrane.”
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You can stream the album and other music by Pat Fulgoni here.
By Stevie Ritson