John F. Klaver - Wheels In Motion

Bitrate:320K/s
Year:2012
Time:49:49 
Size:114,4 MB 
Label:616177 Records DK 
Styles:Blues 
Art:Front 

Tracks Listing:
 1. Wheels in Motion - 4:47
 2. Dust - 4:27
 3. Devilwoman - 2:44
 4. Wrong Over Right - 4:09
 5. Peace of Mind - 3:37
 6. Gimme Summo - 3:52
 7. Dynamite - 3:02
 8. Moment for Two - 6:37
 9. Secret Little Medicine - 4:29
10. I Told Ya - 5:06
11. Jam - 3:32
12. Give It Up - 3:23

Musicians:
John F. Klaver - guitar, vocals;
Bob Fridzema - hammond, backing vocals;
Iris Sigtermans - bass;
Eric Dillisse - drums.

Special Guests:
Big Pete - harmonica - #2;
Rob Mostert - hammond - #6;
Evan Jenkins - drums - #7.

This album is as solid as a house built on stone. John F. Klaver & Co. harvest the entire blues field with funk, R&B, New Orleans style, rock, ballads and a pinch of jazz. The original compositions represent the best songwriting and a cover song by Matt Schofield is no coincidence, because John F. Klaver has also incorporated a touch of Schofield into his guitar playing.
Ladies first... with bassist Iris Sigtermans, Hammond player Bob Fridzema and drummer Eric Dillisse, the protagonist has real capacity in his band. The rhythm section delivers the complete program of groove and rock beats and this Bob Fridzema is exactly the right man to not only accompany John F. Klaver with his keyboard strokes, but also to lure him out of his shell and challenge him with his solos.
"Wheels In Motion" is full of great ideas and it is really entertaining to listen to the band hopping from style to style. The Hammond plays a significant role in the overall sound. We didn't count, but the solos of the two musicians are balanced, maybe even fifty-fifty or half-half.
The guitarist likes the big tones of the twelve-bar music and makes the listener click their tongues, especially in the ballads such as "Moment For Two". It is remarkable when the track "Dynamite" written by John F. Klaver with Evan Jenkins on drums sounds almost like a number by Matt Schofield, except for the vocals, and "I Told Ya" contains typical Klaver sounds. This interplay is interesting.
But it is not only these two pieces that are attractive. "Jam" is, for once, an instrumental that shows the class of Bob Fridzema and John F. Klaver. It's a shame, this jam could have lasted longer. Perhaps "Gimme Summo" could be mentioned as a supplement to "Jam".
How it came about that another highly skilled Hammond virtuoso like Rob Mostert is involved is a matter of debate. It's about music, about the blues, and another instrumental from the protagonist's pen is a real hit on "Wheels In Motion". Here, all the stops are pulled out, full steam ahead with a relaxed groove, rock and plenty of melody in the tank. Everything is in motion here, except for John F. Klaver's voice.
The Dutchman puts more blues into the piece "Give It Up" by Amos Lee than is actually contained in the original. If you let the two other compositions compete, then for me the Amos Lee piece comes out on top.
The John F. Klaver Band has presented a very varied album with "Wheels In Motion". It contains pretty much everything that a really good blues record needs. With an excellent rhythm section, keyboard players who know exactly how to captivate the listener and a guitarist who has learned his trade from scratch and perfectly showcases his skills on the six strings, you can't go wrong with this album.

Wheels In Motion