Real Roots Café Review

"A great introduction to his music and a beautiful acoustic live album," writes Ronand Valstar about "Royal Spa Blues" in Real Roots Café - the oldest American roots music blog in the Netherlands. 

"Andres breathes Fahey's atmosphere through his intense playing. Where Fahey based his music mainly on American folk and folk songs, Roots does the same with American blues, but just as you think that's all you will find there, a folk melody floats through...

"The arrangements and the idiosyncratic interpretations are deeply lived and sensitive. Instrumental, but so expressive that words spring from your imagination as if of their own accord... It is wonderful to hear how he lifts the blues a bit towards the sun."

 Read the whole thing HERE - in Dutch!

RnR Magazine Review

In the May/June issue of RnR Magazine, Morgan Hogarth reviews Andres Roots' "Royal Spa Blues - Live from Temperance" CD, writing: "In addition to self-penned gems such as 'Jook Jones' and 'Tango Walk' he covers Hendrix with 'The Wind Cries Mary', The Beatles on 'Come Together' and traditional blues on the excellent 'Station Blues Medley'. But while his interpretations of such tracks are creatively arranged and well worthy of inclusion, the real highlights of the setlist are his original numbers, particularly '4am Hot Dog', 'Legacy Blues' and 'The Wagon Swing'."

Blues in Britain Reviews

In the May issue of Blues in Britain, Norman Darwen reviews the "Royal Spa Blues - Live from Temperance" CD - and Nicholas John reports on this year's Temperance show with Dave Arcari, from that very album's launch tour.

"The Estonian king of (mainly) acoustic blues instrumentals Andres Roots has re-established his following since Covid as a regular and welcome visitor to these shores," writes Darwen about the 2024 recording. 

"Fifteen songs, all instrumentals, all solo and acoustic, and all well worth a listen. They vary from the lovely blues of ‘Springtime Blues’ and ‘Station Blues Medley’ and the sprightly ‘4 A.M. Hot Dog’ (nice bass string snapping) to the self-explanatorily titled ‘Tango Walk’, the “confusing” ‘Django’ and excellent covers of Jimi Hendrix’s ‘The Wind Cries Mary’ and, to finish off, The Beatles’ Come Together’, whilst ‘Spanish Run’ sounds like a vintage rock guitar instrumental from the early ‘60s – maybe."

"Restrained subtlety is Roots’ stock in trade," suggests John, having witnessed the more recent set at the same venue. "Andres has a dry wit to accompany his dexterous playing and this approach to gentle storytelling enhanced his fine set of instrumentals, his guitar weaving through tangos, swing and folk blues."

Album Reviews!

The first reviews for "Royal Spa Blues - Live from Temperance" are in! 

From Bosnia & Herzegovina, Dragutin Matošević writes in the Barikada.com webzine: "Andres has once again offered us a superb musical pleasure. Nothing else could be expected from a true artist." 

From Kentucky, USA, John Sacksteder continues in the Blues Blast Magazine: "For those of you that like the instrumental work of Leo Kottke or John Fahey, this is an album for you. Andres certainly is adept with his instrument and frequently powers it to sound like there is more than one guitar playing. The Beatles song certainly demonstrates that wall of sound approach to the guitar." 

And from Estonia, Joosep Sang concludes in the Muusika monthly: "The atmosphere on the album is warm and immediate, the distance between the stage and the audience feels almost non-existent, and the communication and the exchange of energy between the performer and the listeners palpable."

Order your copy HERE!

   

Looking Back on 2024

2024 saw 59 live performances by Andres Roots: 20 concerts in Estonia, 18 in Finland, 9 in the UK, 9 in Germany, and 3 in Latvia. In addition to his solo sets, Roots jammed with Dave Arcari (UK), Ron Whitehead & Jinn Bug (USA), Dik Banovich (USA/France), Jantso Jokelin (Finland), Ismo Haavisto (Finland), Old Wood'n Joe (Finland), and The Rhythmbreakers (Finland), sharing stages with Pan Salmenhaara (Finland/Germany), Banjolectric (USA/France), Blues Bizarre (Finland), Kalle Tikas (Estonia), Bad Ass Horse (Finland), and many others.

Festival appearances included the 40th Birmingham Jazz & Blues Festival and the award-winning Upton Blues Festival in the UK, Mosna Blues Festival and Joutsen Blues Festival in Finland, as well as Pirita Blues Festival, Prima Vista Literature Festival and the similarly poetry-based Tõge and Fööniksi Festivals in Estonia. 

The CD compilation "Solo Pieces" was released to coincide with the international summer tour, and in autumn, a reworking of Hurriganes' "In the Nude" - itself a remake of Glenn Miller's "In the Mood" - appeared on the "Estonian Tribute to Hurriganes: Roadrunner" CD/LP. Additionally, Roots' July concert at Temperance in Royal Leamington Spa in the UK was recorded by Adrian Gains and will appear in the popular "Live from Temperance" series on February 25th, 2025 as "Royal Spa Blues" - but more on that next year. 

A big thank you to all of you for your continued support - and Happy 2025, everybody!

--

Concert photos by Margaret McDonald, Siret Roots, Matti Suuronen.

"Deep Purple Re-imagined by Black Ace"

Reviewing "Solo Pieces" for the October issue of Blues in Britain magazine, Norman Darwen writes: "As good as ever... completely solo - though you might not believe me about that... reminded me of Deep Purple as re-imagined by Texas slide guitar bluesman Black Ace... if it's good enough for God, it's gotta be good enough for us mere mortals." 

Check out the magazine HERE - and hear the album HERE!

"Solo Pieces" Reviewed in Pipeline Magazine

Norman Darwen reviews July's "Solo Pieces" compilation in the autumn 2024 issue of Pipeline Instrumental Review: ""A fine introduction to the man's music... Usually very interesting, often very innovative and always very much worth a listen."

There are a few CD copies of "Solo Pieces" still available via Bandcamp - just click HERE!

And don't forget this year's remaining gigs in Finland - in October and November:

10.10 LiveLava @ Eikan Pub, Järvenpää
11.10 Cask Room, Tampere
12.10 Pub Albert & Pub Eduard, Kotka

15.11 Armo, Tampere
16.11 Joutsen Blues @ Oluthuone Joutsen, Hyvinkää
17.11 Villa Hakasalmi, Helsinki

 

 

Põlva Pics & Twoj Blues Review

Last week's concerts were a blast - Tartu and Põlva with Banjolectric (USA), Kadrina with Black River Bluesman & Bad Mood Hudson (FIN). Below are a few photos by Indrek Illus from the Friday night show at the Põlva Cultural Centre - you can see the full gallery HERE.

Meanwhile, in the summer issue of Poland's Twoj Blues quarterly, Robert Lenert writes about the "Vol. 12" album: "The impeccable playing of the guitarist from the technical point of view and the inventive melodies of individual compositions mean that despite such economical means, the music never gets boring - on the contrary, it draws the listener in... Excellent sound production completes the quality of this musical work."

Mendocino Photos & BluesNews Review

In the current issue of the German BluesNews magazine, Dirk Föhrs writes: "Even though the guitarist is rooted in the blues, he plays music that transcends all genres. This can be generally classified under “Roots” to match his surname – which, incidentally, is not a pseudonym."

Below are a few photos from the August 15th Helsinki concert at Bar Mendocino, by Leif Laaksonen.

 

Tallukka Blues Party Review & Photos

Last week's Finnish tour ended with a set at the Hotelli Tallukka Blues Party in Vääksy and Blues-Finland.com has published a detailed review of the event. Pasi Tuominen writes: 

"Even though Roots has been making music for a long time and has been performing actively in Finland for well over a decade, he remains part of the younger generation of roots musicians. And that shows in both his artistic and personal progress – it feels like this guy’s development curve is about to go through the roof.

"The Vesijärvi restaurant was nicely packed on Saturday, intensely alive with the masterful guitarist’s performance. Roots’ acoustic guitar playing exhibits almost endless inventiveness. When seasoning his playing with juicy basslines and percussive right hand effects, he sounds like a trio at the very least!

 

"The humorous stage banter further adds to the concert value of Roots (who speaks better Finnish than many Finns). Rarely do artists get an extra applause for what they say between songs. Andres got many."

 

You can read the whole thing HERE (in Finnish). Photos here and in the article are by Juha Seila. - see the full gallery HERE. 

 

Tallinn and Elva + La Hora del Blues and Edasi

Last week's Pärnu and Liepaja shows were a blast - this week, there are the 25th anniversary celebrations of the Texas Cantina in Tallinn on July 6th and the Café Day in Elva on the 8th; more gigs are listed HERE!

In Spain, Vicente Zumel has reviewed "Vol. 12" for La Hora del Blues - he says "you will be able to appreciate the knowledge, good taste and variety of nuances Andres Roots develops when he deeply comes to the Mississippi Delta blues sounds. Not in vain he has been compared with Ry Cooder, Davy Graham or Leo Kottke." Read the whole thing (in English!) HERE!

Back in Estonia, the author Toomas Raudam has devoted a lengthy Edasi essay to the same album, suggesting that instead of whiskey, it's the Mediterranean that flows in these blues - read a free excerpt (in Estonian!) HERE!

Pärnu and Liepaja + Soul Bag and Pipeline

On Wednesday, June 28, Andres Roots and Ismo Haavisto will be performing together at Ranna Kõlakoda in Pärnu, Estonia. From there, Roots will travel to Liepaja, Latvia for a three-night solo run: Thursday, June 29 at Fontaine Palace and Friday-Saturday at Fontaine Gypsy Camp.

Meanwhile, Christophe Mourot writes in the current issue of the French Soul Bag magazine that the Andres Roots "Vol. 12" CD is "mixing blues of every origin... energetic and poetic, that we never grow tired of listening to." And over in the UK, Norman Darwen states in the Pipeline Instrumental Review that "Estonian guitarist Andres makes excellent solo instrumental albums and this is no exception to that rule."

Photo by Maanus Kullamaa.

Blues in Britain & Blues Blast Magazine Reviews

The June issue of Blues in Britain magazine contains Norman Darwen's review of "Vol. 12". Calling Andres Roots "Estonia's finest, and one of the prime acoustic blues instrumental players", Mr. Darwen singles out the "expected excellent slide playing" on "Birdsong Thing" and the "delicate and attractive kora-like playing" heard on "Dromedary" - while "the closing "Sherwood" sounds like it could evolve into a classic rock item".

Meanwhile in America's Blues Blast Magazine, John Mitchell concludes that "there is no doubt that Andres Roots is a fine picker and those who enjoy acoustic guitar playing will be sure to find music here that suits their tastes." You can find the latter review in its entirety HERE.

The choice of the Honest Broker and the Sound Cafe

On May 20th, the American jazz critic and music historian Ted Gioia published an article titled "12 Outstanding New Albums by 12 Artists from 12 Countries" on his website The Honest Broker. Leading in with "these under-the-radar records absolutely deserve your attention", the famed author of "Delta Blues: The Life and Times of the Mississippi Masters Who Revolutionized American Music" includes Andres Roots "Vol. 12" in his handpicked dozen: 

"This artist hails from Tartu, Estonia... and mixes Baltic and Euro-modal flavorings with large doses of raw bluesiness. It’s almost as if muddy waters were flowing into the Gulf of Riga. Musicians of this sort run counter to all expectations, and upset various purists." 

On May 31st, the Toronto-based webzine The Sound Cafe published their "Quick Picks for June 2023" that also includes "Vol. 12", alongside new releases by more mainstream acts such as Foo Fighters, Imagine Dragons, and Estonia's own Trad.Attack!: a "selection of new releases... well worth checking out"!

Photo by Leif Laaksonen.

And Even More Reviews!

In the May issue of Estonia's Muusika magazine, Kristiina Kanep writes about "Vol. 12": "This is a very good record... It's as if the music keeps flowing towards a destination, yet warm and filled with peace. Even though the roots of this music aren't in our soil, it made for a cozy listening that's good for the soul." Click HERE to read the whole thing (in Estonian!)!

Over in Finland, Desibeli.net has published a review by the webzine's editor-in-chief Mika Roth, who calls the CD "total roots treatment": "An interesting mix of Delta Blues, Americana, primitive blues and folkier elements." Click HERE to read the whole thing (in Finnish!)!

The May issue of Muusika also includes a lengthy piece on the late great Charlie Watts by Andres Roots, and the May issue of Finland's Blues News magazine features his profile on fellow Tartu guitarist, Hendrix enthusiast and luthier Halvo Liivamägi - be sure to check that out, too!

And More Reviews!

"Let yourself be immersed in the world of acoustic slide guitar blues, a world that Andres Roots masters like no other," writes Eric Schuurmans in Belgium's Rootstime - read the whole thing (in Dutch) HERE!

And over in Bosnia & Herzegovina, Dragutin Matošević declares that "Andres Roots is innovative, interesting and unique" - "with great experience and enviable guitar playing technique". This Barikada review is in English and can be found in its entirety HERE!

More Reviews!

More reviews are coming in - and when it comes to "Vol. 12", "Led Zeppelin" and "Hawaiian style" still appear to be the keywords :)

In the May edition of the UK's Blues in the South, Ged Wilson calls Andres "a first class acoustic guitar player" and says the music is "reminiscent of the late Davy Graham... Bordering on Led Zeppelin 3 territory", with "a nice Hawaiian slide guitar style." Check out the full review (and why not subscribe to the monthly?) HERE. 

Over at Keys and Chords in Belgium, Philip Verhaege states that "Acoustic slide guitar as in the heyday of Delta Blues is the main focus here. And Andres really has it in his fingers." Read on (in Dutch!) HERE.

And last, we have the review that was actually published first, way back in March - in the Estonian weekly Nelli Teataja, Ülo Külm writes: "He grabs you from the suitably rousing opener "So It Is, Subhuti" and maintains an evenly professional level until the end."

First Reviews: Leo Kottke-esque Zep Folk

The first reviews for "Vol. 12" are in! 

In the Netherlands' Bluestown Music, Peter Marinus calls it Leo Kottke-esque and "almost Hawaiian", mentioning "the sound of early Ry Cooder", "the folky side of Led Zeppelin" and "a light Indian atmosphere". 

In Finland's Noise.fi, Mikko Nissinen repeats the Zep claim while also namechecking GA-20, John Mayall and the Yardbirds, and concludes: "Fine Estonian craftsmanship it is. A national treasure of its time, to be honest."

You can read the Bluestown Music review (in Dutch) HERE and the Noise.fi review (in Finnish) HERE!

Reviews, Reviews!

Today's your last chance to catch the 1Teater staging of N. Richard Nash's "The Rainmaker" ("Vihmameister") - among praise for the play and performance, the Danzumees blog notes that "Andres Roots has created an ideally suited country guitar (at times even banjoesque) music design". Full review in Estonian HERE!

Meanwhile in Finland, the Rajatapauksia blog has published a detailed review of the "Maaseutumusiikkia vol. iii" CD: "The compilation's biggest surprise is the presence of the Estonian blues musician Andres Roots. Several of his records have ended up on my shelf and I hold him in high esteem. Roots is not a relic stuck in a particular blues genre but an innovative musician genuinely looking for something new. "Minor Gripes" by Andres Roots & Red Mouth feat. Jantso Jokelin shuffles cards from so many decks that I can't even describe the genre it represents. Folksy blues-based art music topped with country and western? Great stuff in any case." Full review in Finnish HERE!

Photo from last Saturday's gig at Kuur in Otepää by Ville de Ville. 

"Afternoon" Reviewed in Poland

Last fall's "Afternoon" EP was reviewed in the spring edition of Poland's Twoj Blues magazine. Robert Lenert writes: "The acoustic guitar has no secrets in the hands of this musician. Andres is a full-fledged virtuoso... Although the songs are instrumental, there is no question of them being boring or monotonous." He also notes that "despite the "roots" tone of the music itself, its production is very clear and contemporary" - dziękuję bardzo! :) 

You can buy the EP HERE and subscribe to the magazine HERE!