Hans Theessink & Terry Evans

Visions

Visions brings together two deep blues voices. Hans Theessink, one of Europe's most respected keepers of the genre, and Terry Evans, whose music carries the heritage of his Mississippi ancestors, connect here like soulmates united by music. The pairing of Theessink's deep, emotive baritone with Evans' gospel-colored tenor makes this record one of the year's best acoustic outings. Recorded over two days in Los Angeles, Visions strips down to only to Theessink's and Evans' guitars on five of it's 13 tunes. The only additions are Phil Bloch's percussive touches on the remaining tracks and Richard Thompson's electric guitar on two songs.The album mixes well-written originals with novel interpretations of American classics. In a fresh take on Memphis Slim's "Mother Earth," Theessink's graveyard-call lead vocal is answered by both men harmonizing the chorus. On J.B.Lenoir's oft-recorded  "Talk To Your Daughter," Evans quietly pleads the message as he and Theessink boogie on guitars. Fats Domino's "Let The Four Winds Blow" boasts a friendly back-porch vibe, thanks to Thompson's breezy guitar lines and Theessink's effortless slide work. On Willie Dixon's "You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover," Evans' voice leads until the song's final minute, when Bo Diddley speaks the closing verses and the guitar licks transform into Diddley's signature riff.The originals range from Theessink's "Going Back Home," where his harp and Evans' guitar pay homage to great duos such as Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, to "Vicksburg is my Home," a sultry Delta piece Theessink wrote in honor of of Evans' birthplace. The record closes with Evans' seven-minute "Come to the River," an autobiographical rap that recalls the Sunday baptism services every child of the Delta remembers. Evans' ministerial calls and Theessink's responses conjure the powerful sway a man of the cloth holds over his flock.

Art Tipaldi, Blues Revue (USA) December/January 2009

Label: Blue Groove