The blues is a genre very much alive with innovation thanks to a new breed of hyper-talented artists. With a remarkably rich heritage from which to draw, ranging from funk to soul, via the jazzy experimentation of Jeff Beck and John Mclaughlin; artists such as Joe Bonamassa, Joanne Shaw Taylor, Ben Poole and Erja Lyytinen have delighted in breaking down boundaries wherever they find them, all the time aware of the responsibility they have to their craft. The results have been remarkable, with the last decade a brilliantly fertile period for the blues and, at the forefront of all this, Erja has been honing her skills, earning a European Blues Award in the process.
Aptly titled, Another world sees Erja further testing the boundaries, both of her own artistic abilities and of the blues to absorb influences from other genres. The resulting eight-track album incorporates elements of prog, rock and folk into the mix and, thanks to a superlative mix, draws the listener into an airy and expansive album that shows Erja expanding her not inconsiderable powers still further. The album starts hard and heavy with the Hendrix-esque Snake in the grass. Featuring a guest spot from Jennifer Batten (Michael Jackson’s favourite shredder, apparently), snake in the grass sees some gloriously innovative lead work as the duo go head-to-head in an exhilarating battle that recalls the astonishingly avant-experimentation of Jeff Beck. It’s a vibrant start to the album and it leaves no doubt as to Erja’s absolute mastery of her instrument. In contrast, Cherry Overdrive takes the funk excursions of Pink Floyd’s Echoes as its starting point and runs headlong into soulful prog territory, Harri Taittonen’s keyboards recalling the majesty of Richard Wright’s sensitive backing and Erja’s guitar roaring with real power. Even by Erja’s exacting standards, this is an exceptional opening pair of tracks that leave the listener utterly enthralled. The album’s title track is a dreamier piece that sees Erja roaming territory previously occupied by the likes of Peter Gabriel, deftly combining pop sensibilities with exquisite musicianship for an evocative track that, in a just world, would fill arenas with adoring fans. An ambitious piece, it offers far more than just a soaring chorus and, over the course of five-and-a-half sublime minutes, Erja takes the listener on a journey that is filled with exciting twists and turns. The first half of the album concludes with hard as a stone, inspired by a recent cameo with Carlos Santana and rife with a sense of the claustrophobia experienced by someone overcome by the sensory overload of modern society. Erja’s voice remains a revelation, tender but with an edge to it that hints at the high voltage that lies just below the calm surface and which is revealed in the dramatic finale to the song as the rhythm goes into overdrive and Erja indulges in some harmonised lead work that takes the breath away.
Opening up side two, wedding day looks askance at romance-gone-wrong and boasts the first of two guest appearances from the ever-wonderful Sonny Landreth. With a shuffling rhythm, Erja and Sonny clearly have a blast as they complement one another on a track that has a strong southern flavour and a twinkle in its eye. Erja slows the pace for the gorgeous miracle, the album’s emotional centre-piece which, over its six-minute run time, sees Erja more from cynical to enraptured as she slowly builds the guitar work to a stunning climax. Maintaining the innovative streak that serves the album so well, Torn sees Erja’s first recorded efforts on the violin, the song built around a syncopated beat that draws from early Sting before things are straightened out on the Celtic-infused chorus. The album concludes with another guest spot from Sonny, as Erja deals with the emotional fallout of a break up on break my heart gently. A subtle, dreamy curtain call which benefits from Sonny’s deeply evocative slide work, which cries out over Erja’s softly-delivered vocal, it is the perfect ending to the album, being both cathartic and yet suffused with hope.
Another World is a lovely album. It seems to delight in breaking new ground and yet it never feels forced; the music is eclectic and yet entirely coherent and the performances are ubiquitously magnificent. Beautifully produced, Another World is best played loud and allowed to play from beginning to end, and there’s no question that listener’s will be hooked form explosive opener snake in the grass right through to the beautiful closing notes of break my heart gently. Further proof that Erja Lyytinen is a formidable force in modern music, another world is truly a masterpiece. 9.5
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