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Over the past 25 years, Matthew Skoller has developed a brand of blues that boogies, rocks, and jives in the urban Chicago tradition. Skoller's warm, raspy vocals and succinct harmonica work radiate confidence and maturity without flashy exhibitionism. Today he enjoys a hard-won reputation as one of the foremost harp players in the huge talent pool of the Chicago blues scene...
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Matthew Skoller's style of Chicago blues is a thinking music lover's dream. It's upbeat and solidly rocking, but it's also much more. Those who seek a foot-tapping soundtrack for beer drinking won't be disappointed, but neither will those who long for songs with meaning. Skoller combines Hammond organ and wailing harmonica with smart lyrics like "It seems more honest to be mugged on the street than to be be jacked-up by Enron."
Highlights include "Ghosts in Your Closet," in which Skoller warns us that "shuttin' the door just locks 'em in." The song gives well-deserved time to guitar and harmonica solos.
"Handful of People" features some of the best protest lyrics to cross my desk in a while: "There's a handful of people telling the whole world how to live/They've got a fist full of gimme, and a heart full of never give." If politics isn't your thing, just take another swig of beer and focus on the ripping harmonica solos. |
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"The Matthew Skoller Band is an outstanding group that expresses blues in the urban or Chicago blues idiom. These Kind of Blues offer Matthew Skoller as a brilliant and significant songwriter, arranger, harpist, vocalist and bandleader. He presents contemporary blues with silhoutettes of Junior Parker, James Cotton and Jimmy Reed. These Kind of Blues is living and breathing the pathos of tradition and history." |
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Skoller goes after something beyond the same old thing, singing self-written lyrics that reflect his concern over dehumanizing technology on "Wired World" and arrogant autocrats on "Handful of People," the latter also done up hip-hop style. Guitarist Lurrie Bell makes his presence known, most decisively on the powerful gospel-meets blues statement "Let the World Come to You." |
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Session harmonica-player Skoller makes a strong claim for a centre-stage spotlight
The Chicago chapter of the United Blues Musicians has a bunch of heavyweights in its younger ranks like Nick Moss and Dave Specter, and coming up fast to join them is Matthew Skoller. His throaty singing and his harmonica playing are true-blue in the idiom, but this is no conventional travelogue from the Chicago of 40 years ago: his songs are either set firmly in the present, like Wired World, or choose traditional motifs only to transform them, as in Down At Your Buryin'. The most arresting cut is Handful Of People, first done as an airy guitar-led tune Magic Sam would have enjoyed, then remixed with a more rhythmic undertow and a rap track. |
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With These Kind of Blues!, harpist and vocalist Matthew Skoller offers up tasty and authentic Chicago blues. His songs possess a touch of class and a welcome social conscience too often absent from a genre that often relies on references to a long-gone past. That's not to say Skoller isn't heavily influenced by that past; his warm, raspy vocal calls to mind the late Ray Charles, and his authoritative harmonica playing is rooted deeply in the inflections of Junior Wells and James Cotton. "Handful of People" is a classic minor-key Chicago blues and a clear and biting criticism of U.S. foreign policy: "There's a handful of people/Tellin' the whole world how to live." But there's no heavy-handedness here, no moralistic posturing. And Skoller's harp simply wails. Joining him are Lurrie Bell and Larry Skoller on guitar, Sidney James Wingfield on keyboards, Willie "Vamp" Samuels on bass, and Kenny Smith on drums. The guitarists work well together, never stepping on toes, and Wingfield's organ and piano give just the right push. Songs that could come off trite or pedestrian in the hands of other artists are fun and soulful here, a fact exemplified by a shuffle called "Wired World," where the scratch and whistle of a dial-up computer modem is soon joined by Skoller's commanding harmonica playing. With references to Enron's illegal dealings and the intrusions of modern technology - not to mention a superior control of the blues - Skoller and company deliver Chicago-style tunes worth repeated listenings. |
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"Matthew Skoller is one of today's top harmonica players clearly influenced by artists such as Sonny Boy Williamson. He's a good singer who can be a gritty vocalist. He is an even better songwriter, taking Blues traditions into modern times with contemporary themes beyond the sexuality and heartbreak of too many Blues songs. And, everyone can enjoy the lyrics because they are thankfully transcribed in the liner notes booklet." |
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English Translation:
Matthew Skoller is known and appreciated for his harmonica playing, in which he combines the esthetics of Jr. Wells, Sonny Boy Williamson and Walter Horton. His own style is filled with energy, lyricism, melodics and technique.
This is his fourth release, and it shows his own, very personal and vision of urban blues of the 21st century. He's a very good composer. His lyrics go far beyond man/woman relationships, delivering maturity and wisdom, containing passion and indispensable expression coming from the author's heart.
Skoller is accompanied by excellent Chicago musicians. The rhythm section is: Vamp Samuels (bass) and Kenny Smith (dr), with Sidney Wingfield on keyboards. Guitars are played by Skoller's brother Larry, and one of the greatest masters of this instrument in the city of Chicago - Lurrie Bell. Bell's solos ornament "Let The World Come Come To You" and Cotton's "Down At Your Buryin'."
Skoller's own playing in "Ghost In Your Closet" is very hot-tempered. And his solo in "Handful Of People" sent a shiver down my spine! A very interesting CD for all Chicago blues lovers. This music is fresh and modern, but its creator knows history and tradition. Superb! |
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Matthew Skoller and his band were one of the highlights at the Lucerne Blues Festival in 2004. His new CD proves why. The group from Chicago has deep roots in the electric blues of the Windy City, but also allows "modern" elements to shine through. Skoller impresses with his raw, black voice and with Junior Wells Harp influences. The excellent guitar work comes from brother Larry Skoller and also from Lurrie Bell. Skoller is perfectly comfortable at any tempo, which is demonstrated in the Slow Blues tune "Handful of People". "Let the World Come to You" shows gospel influences, "Stolen Thunder" rocks, while Sidney James Wingfield's barrelhouse-piano almost makes "Julia" come off as a country track. Skoller shows his extreme independence also in his texts. Politically alert, verses like "it seems more honest/ to be mugged out on the street/ than to be jacked-up by Enron" don't belong to the typical blues fare. Along these lines "Handful of People" is also played in a Hip-Hop-Blues-Version: " a handful of people/tellin' the whole world how to live". Matthew Skoller on the other hand is showing the world, what today's Chicago-Blues should sound like. |
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"Are white collar crime, the ravages of outsourcing and the war in Iraq the stuff of good blues songs? ... Skoller, who has a poet’s love of the language that’s occasionally reminiscent of Dylan, marshals just the right mixture of irony, dark humor and a sense of the absurd to pull it off. "Get Paid," the opening track, is a refreshingly unromantic look at the economic facts of life (maybe the best since Pink Floyd’s "Money") that reminds us that even "Ghandi and Mama Theresa . . . gotta get paid." "Handful of People" hints at the dark forces loose in the world ("They got a fist full of gimme/And a heart full of never give"), while "Wired World" is a wonderful send-up of the Internet-and-cell-phone culture.
Skoller is very well served by his lead guitarist, Chicago recluse Lurrie Bell, who spends most of the album hunkered down in the lower register. The son of famed harp man Carey Bell, he contributes unconditional support to the leader while soloing with his usual concise approach. |
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Friend Matthew Skoller continues his always brilliant and interesting journey. He won’t mind my saying right off that he owes this to one of the most accomplished Chicago blues bands: his brother Larry and Lurrie Bell on guitar, Sid Wingfield on keyboard, and finally the impeccable combined rhythm of Vamp Samuels (bass) and Kenny Smith (drums). A dream group, or, as they say on the other side of the Atlantic, a dream team.
The ensemble produces a cd that is fresh, varied, and very rich. One senses a conceptual and reflective approach, served by excellent modern and intelligent texts which are a change from current productions. They juggle themes: listen to how they handle fear of self (Ghosts in your closet); disillusion (Handful of people); derision (Wired world); exacerbated jealousy (Down at your buryin’). And these are only a few examples. Everyone can enjoy the texts because the lyrics are transcribed in the booklet.
Another great strength of this cd are the inventions that explore new territory without betraying the essence of the original music (precisely what Bernard Allison is incapable of doing, see above). Here, the cd surges between taut, disquieting and evolving blues (Handful of people, Down at your buryin’), a slightly churchy title highlighted by beautiful back ground vocals (Let the world come to you), a washed away beach superbly evoked with vocal (off) effects (Stolen Thunder), a jumping homage to Larry’s little daughter (Julia), and even a reprise of Jimmy Reed which is perfectly in the spirit (Where can you be). As to the remixed version in a hip-hop vein of Handful of people, it throws you off at first, but you get into it in the process of listening: a kind of exercise impossible on stage, but that can be tied together in the studio, this one transforms into an elegant success.
With every listening, the cd reveals new surprises. In a word, these guys know how to do it all! Without going into too much detail, for we begin to know them well, we will say of the leader that his vocal assurance becomes better and better wed to his supple and expressive harmonica playing. Lurrie Bell remains very wise, articulating a few solos in his particular style, a bit halting, (Let the world come to you, Where can you be). Rhythm and keyboard adapt to each other marvelously, allowing the soloists to assume many different directions. There remains Larry Skoller who must be considered as an exceptional guitarist: take only his chorus in Down at your buryin’; it could wrench sobs from a piece of wood. An exemplary cd, and.......exploratory! |
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"This release has a huge impact on its first play it fairly drips with all the best in Chicago Blues -- grooves, beat, strong lyrics, musicianship and urban grind." |
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"Chicago's hardworking Matthew Skoller isn't a household name even in blues circles. But he's a fire-breathing harmonica ace clearly influenced by the likes of Sonny Boy Williamson, a solid vocalist with a touch of gritty lyricism, and a good songwriter with a knack for revitalizing blues clichés with astutely contemporary twists. A former Kinsey Report member and vet of innumerable Chi-town sessions, Skoller also has assembled a formidable band featuring incendiary guitarist Lurrie Bell and former Mellow Fellows keyboards wiz Sid Wingfield. While perfectly capable of churning into high gear, the band is particularly adept at slow-burning blues. And there are a couple of nuggets on its spanking new CD, These Kind of Blues! (Tongue 'N Groove): James Cotton's vicious 'Down at Your Buryin’ Ground' and the Skoller original 'Handful of People', which builds to a blizzard of searing harmonica work and blistering testifying." |
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BLUES RADIO PERSONALITIES PRAISE THESE KIND OF BLUES!
"Matthew Skoller is one of the top harmonica players in the blues today. He's a good singer whose voice comes straight from the heart. On These Kind of Blues! he's assembled a cast of some of the best and most creative players in Chicago today and has produced a beautiful sounding CD. What really makes it rise to the top, though, is the songwriting. Matthew Skoller has found his voice writing about contemporary issues with real feeling in a classic blues structure."
-- Tom Marker, BluesBreakers, WXRT, Chicago
"Matthew is a favorite in this area due to his legendary performances in Milwaukee before his move to Chicago. It's been a pleasure watching him grow over the years. His performance at this year's Lucerne Switzerland (Blues Festival) included a commentary on the war in Iraq; he got the biggest audience response of the night! I had an advance copy of this and have featured it on THE BLUE SIDE. Expect heaviest rotation and continued feature long into the future."
-- Mary Flynn, The Blue Side, Wisconsin Public Radio
"Heavy air play on this one... Matthew sounding good on the harp and Lurrie Bell is a great axe man!"
-- Leroy Alvarez, WNMC, Traverse City, MI
"I love the new cd and it is #4 on my Playlist For February!" -- Robert Lynn KSPQ, West Plains, MO
"The more I listen to the Matthew Skoller Band, the better it gets. An uncommonly perceptive songwriter, and I've always loved Lurrie Bell on the guitar." -- Eric Alan, Music Director, Jefferson Public Radio, KSMF, Ashland, OR |
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