The Very Best of The First Two Decades. All Killers, No Fillers and Same Old Lies!
Artist: Thorbjørn Risager & the Black Tornado
Label: Ruf Records
Released: 2021
Number of Tracks: 33
Duration: 132:49
Website: https://risager.info/music/
Review by Mixmaster Linc
After the stormy weather we’ve been having lately, I was inspired one morning to check my hard drive to see what kind of songs I had about tornadoes. The only good one was ELO’s “Laredo Tornado”, but I stumbled across a CD that I had downloaded from a band with Tornado in their name, and I was really blown away.
For people who hadn’t heard them before, I used to describe the band Indigenous as a cross between Big Head Todd & the Monsters and Stevie Ray Vaughan (and that’s a good thing!). Thorbjørn Risager & the Black Tornado definitely fit in that same kind of slot as well. Born and raised in Denmark, Thorbjørn plays some guitar, but it mostly known for his vocals. Both Black Tornado and his first band, Blue 7, have a very full sound, with eight members in the band, including Thorbjørn. The band has played in twenty-one countries around the world, and records and performs in English.
Now is where I confess that I really only downloaded disc 1 of this two disc career retrospective, but I did some cherry-pick listening to the songs on the second disc, and I feel confident that my comments would apply to both. The songs are mostly blues rockers and big R&B romps, but there are some nice shuffles and ballads mixed in as well. All of the songs are original compositions, and are very strong. Thorbjørn’s vocals call to mind Kim Wilson, and the entire band is very tight.
Definitely, 5 stars from me, and a strong recommend.
Hear for yourself: Listen on Youtube
