For the record, I’m the one here at Rock the Joint Magazine who tends to cover all blues-related material, as I was brought up on listening to the old blues Delta performers at home; my Dad would be playing one of the blues records when busy with one of his DIY projects around the house. For me, blues can be infused in other genres quite easily; it involves (for me) imbuing the song with the blues vibes, the emotions and life experiences. This means we connect to it as listeners. My blues right now are baby blues (lol), as my five-month-old tiny terror shows me exactly what Wham meant with the lyric “if you’re happy with a nappy, then you’re in for fun.”
Voodoo Ramble is an established, successful band of blues musicians who released their fourth album on May 15. I will let you read the press release, then give my review.
‘In The Heart Of The City’ is a cornerstone album for the band, as it embodies everything that Voodoo Ramble has done so far. It rocks hard with a bluesy heart on well-crafted songs given real presence by Boris’s impassioned vocals.
As band leader Boris Zamba says: “This is a fourth album and probably the best one so far. But we’ll let the listeners and broadcasters decide that! It could have been titled ‘Collaboration Blues’ because of the people who played on it. But I decided on the title the moment that songwriter/lyricist Pete Feenstra sent me these amazing lyrics and Everything dropped into place.”
“In The Heart of The City” also includes special guest Muddy Manninen (ex-Wishbone Ash, Black Pearl), who brings an intuitive feel and plays some imperious slide on “Midnight Ride.’ British blues legend Mick Pini adds his unique tone color to the suitably titled “I’m A Bluesman Baby,” while Marcus Flynn – known affectionately by Zamba as “The fingers of fury” – drops in an incendiary slide solo on “4000 Years Old.”
My Review:
The album runs to ten songs and lasts just under 36 minutes.
“In the Heart of the City” (Feenstra/Zamba)
Traditionally, there’s no love in the heart of the city! What a good opener! A slick guitar and a thundering drum sound surprised me! This is a great opener, a rock track that moves toward an AOR sound and is a track with harmony background vocals that absolutely grabs attention and makes me want to get into the car and drive on an open road with the volume up. Come on, commercial rock radio (and Radio 2 for that matter) should be playing this. It has a freshness to it that I liked (as you can tell!).
“Take You Home” (Feenstra/Zamba)
Drumming by Damir Somen on this track definitely moves it along to a solid beat. The track has an American feel to it, a bit of Grand Funk Railroad in there somewhere. It has a neat direction change mid-track and is a fine track without the sense of being a single that the opener had.
“Midnight Ride” (Feenstra/Zamba)
A song about an illicit love affair. Instrumentally slick and the production of this whole album is top-drawer. Boris on vocals does a good job here and the song has a nice bluesy groove to it.
“I’m A Bluesman Baby” (Zamba)
A bit of shuffle-boogie blues here; you get carried along by those blues guitar notes and the song has a sense of fun and freedom in the approach. The production retains a sense of spontaneous studio jam and I would bet that live, this could go off anywhere!
“4000 Years Old” (Feenstra/Zamba)
There is a hell of a riff on this one. This one also should be a single, and the background harmony again creates a big sound that I loved. This is very good and the guitar break from Marcus Flynn adds to the whole nicely. A tip of the hat from me to those backing singers and the drum sound nails it too.
“Don’t Leave Me 4 Good” (Zamba)
This is a song for summer nights. It has the best vocal performance on the album from Boris, who takes over the track and makes it a really solid blues vocal performance drawn from the emotive connection between the vocalist and the guitar.
“Walk Away” (Feenstra/Zamba)
This is a rock number, and it is a decent rock track but it doesn’t leave the impression on me after listening that some of the standouts here did. I listened to it and it was a fine album number.
“Cold Hearted Woman” (Zamba)
This one has the vocalist in an upbeat mood, sitting inside prison and looking inside out. There is a ‘call and response’ vocal and some good interplay between vocal and instrumental breaks.
“I Refuse” (to Feel The Blues) – (Zamba)
An intense slide-led stomp with an Eastern-sounding Dobro moves us into this rocky number. You really sense how much fun the band is having with this one; it is hard to just listen to it – you want to be jumping about and watching live.
“Addicted to the Rush” (Feenstra/Zamba)
I liked the drum opening, providing a strong heartbeat that continues through the track. It closes the album in a fun, upbeat manner.
Standout Tracks: “In the Heart of the City” and “4,000 Years.”
So, to sum it up, In The Heart Of The City is a mission statement for where Voodoo Ramble has arrived at. It’s tight, it’s bluesy, it’s got swagger, and it doesn’t waste a second of your time. Whether you’re in the car with the volume up, pacing the living room with a baby in your arms, or just in need of something that makes your foot tap and your soul nod in agreement—this album delivers. ~It is what the blues sounds like in 2025.
You can stream music from Voodoo Ramble here
By Stevie Ritson