6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The name says it all, April 30, 2001
This review is from: Overtime (Audio CD)
Imagine a sultan bringing his royal musicians to a Chicago blues bar, and you might get close. Urban Turban is the brainchild of Peter Bryngelsson, who wondered one day what it would be like to play traditional blues songs with non-traditional instruments (Hurdy Gurdy, Bozouki, Tabla, Saz, Violin) and arrangements. The result is refreshing and engaging - a fresh salty ocean breeze in a sea of Blues mediocrity, or, as the liner notes praise: "Captain Beefheart meets an Arabian big band in the desert."
Track 4 is my favorite with Beefheartesque vocals, and melds into a drum-heavy boostomp "Klagodans" that weaves through a fiddle ditty straight out of the Ukraine. Track 2 could pass for World Party in a continental mood (or as a They Might Be Giants cover band on track 7), and track 5 "Persian Night" could have been pulled off Zeppelin III. Overall, the sound is very Eastern European, the likes of which we rarely hear in this country, particularly in this type of vein. Their first lp (good luck finding a copy) had more traditional material to play with, and this one tackles John Mayall several ways, always with innovative and pleasant results. Recommended if you want unique music that you and your friends have never heard before.
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