Voodoo Ramble, a Croatian blues/rock outfit, has been working since 2010. The band was founded by Zamba, a guitarist, songwriter, and producer. Throughout the years, the repertory shifted from blues to rock and back again. With a significant number of live gigs at biker parties, blues festivals, and other events, the band has earned the reputation of a dependable, high-quality live act.
The album features the music of band leader Boris Boris Dugi-Novack (Zamba) and lyrics by Pete Feenstra, an award-winning blues promoter, broadcaster, and songwriter.
This new album is now available for download on most platforms; the link for it is here. And we are very pleased to have a guest reviewer today, one of our friends at the magazine, Rebecca Richards.
“Born on the Road” is an instant hit of southern country rock, which is right up my street. If you enjoy the likes of Blackberry Smoke, you’ll love this. The band describes it as a “trucker song,” and, for sure you could drive along to this one.
“Can’t Write a love song when you have the Blues” – great title, but having been built up on the first track this didn’t hit the same mark, but very ‘boppable’ nevertheless
“Too bad for Heaven. Too good for Hell.” Yeah! Back to the rock sound we heard on the first track. Reminiscent of a heavier version of “Life in the Fast Lane” by the Eagles with loads of cool guitar riffs.
Down Home. Well, this is certainly a change in direction. Is this Johnny Cash, “guitar picking,” stealing a chicken? Intrigued? It’s definitely worth a listen.
“Out of this World.” This song caught us off guard with its beautiful horns, harmonies, and Ivana Galic’s beautiful voice. I was expecting a duet with the band’s lead singer, but it seems they graciously gave her the full spotlight, which didn’t disappoint—it was gorgeous.
Zamba says of the single (we have the official YouTube video below)
“This is the first time I’ve shared the songwriting process with anyone, and it’s really helped me focus on delivering what we both had in mind. The album was originally going to be called ‘Collaboration Blues’, but the 7 co-written tracks out of 11 were much more diverse, spanning rock, blues, gospel, prog rock, and Americana.”
“London Town”—what next? Well, it seems like a Clash style song about London Town, fast food chicken, and all that. It was very different from the rest of the album in terms of style—where will they take us next?
“Keep Your Heart”—ooh, back with a smokey bluesy opening riff, with the lift in the vocals being particularly good.
“I know it’s you” – lovely opening guitar solo, I’m just looking to dim the lights and reach for that glass of wine to enjoy a song that could be of Pink Floyd descent which deftly moves into full synth and guitar solos
“Man in Doubt.” A return to satisfying southern rock with a powerful vocal and enjoyable harmonized guitar solo.
“Stitch in Time.” A moody rock number, the lyric “You’ve got to jump before you fall” got us debating what the lyrics of the overall song meant.
“Always on the Run.” This was originally written for the Croatian tourist board! Queen-esque anthemic guitar solo, which made me think of the first Top Gun movie with its full orchestration and power guitar. This is a full musical number without vocals. I could imagine this might be how they might open or close one of their shows.
Overall, a rollercoaster ride with some unexpected but enjoyable twists and turns. If you want to download this album, follow this link. We all need a bit of Voodoo Magic now and again!
Boris Zamba led gtr/vocals,
Mario Klarić drums,
Nino Krznar bass guitar,
Sinisa Drobnjak on electric guitar,
Drago Smokrovic Smokva (aka. The Fig) production mix and master.
By Rebecca Richards
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