Norway’s JT Lauritsen puts his unmistakable stamp on American roots music on his sixth outing, a live collection recorded over the course of a couple of weekends in his native country.
Lauritsen, a pretty fine harmonica player in his own right, sticks to accordion here, leaving the Mississippi Saxophone duties to friend and musical soul-mate Billy Gibson, who also handles vocals on a pair. Backed by Lauritsen’s working band, they take a leisurely yet lively stroll through a widely varied program.
The playlist combines familiar almost-standards in the soul-blues vein (“What Am I Living For” “Got You On My Mind”), Jimmy Reed’s “Big Boss Man,” a lesser-known B. B. King number (“Dance For Me Babe”) with a few surprises (tunes from Dwight Yoakum and Norton Buffalo) and a handful of originals. There’s Willie Dixon’s relatively rare “Sex Appeal,” a shimmering slice of Memphis soul (“Broken Circle”), rollicking rock ‘n’ roll (“Red Hot”), and Earl King’s funky “Make A Better World,” all capped with a moving take on Tom T. Hall’s “That’s How I Got To Memphis.”
Everything’s done with flair and aplomb. This is a well-rehearsed band, and Lauritsen is an excellent vocalist in the blue-eyed soul vein. The interplay between his accordion and Gibson’s harmonica is revelatory; tonally the two can all-too-easily cancel each other out, but both Lauritsen and Gibson exhibit exemplary restraint and exquisite taste. The former’s accordion is a treat, adding subtle, shimmering color throughout, while Gibso’s palette is broad indeed, whether he’s inserting sharp, squalling jabs or cutting loose with that classic fat, full-bodied tone as on “I Just Love You Like I Said.”
Sound is crisp and clean, with each instrument well-defined and lots of sonic ambiance to make listeners feel a part of proceedings. Tunes are catchy and danceable, yet thanks to the relatively unusual but invariably effective paring of Lauritsen’s squeezebox and Gibson’s harp, there’s more than enough musical meat to chew on here. This one’s a keeper!
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