Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
In music there is no such thing as a fluke, there is no such thing as a happy co-incidence and despite the many one hit wonders that have littered and worried for a short while both the album and single charts around the world, it still takes skill, dedication and talent to have got even that far let alone become good enough to be recorded live as from Songs From The Road.
For Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado the thought may have been there in the back of the minds of the fans that this whirlwind of Danish Blues would never been recognised for what he truly is, a legend of cool to whom time perhaps has not kept its eye upon. Yet all that changed with the release of the album Too Many Roads, quite rightly Thorbjørn’s talent was documented and acclaimed by a greater amount of people and the appreciation was immense.
To capture the exhilarating performance it falls as always and it feels with much pride to the people at Ruf Records, and in a scintillating night in Bonn, in that intensity, the now accepted guitar hero of Denmark was liberated to the point of encapsulating not only his Blues prowess, but his soul was exposed to the Rock, the Boogie and the soul tonic wonder.
The music is warm, careful not over tantalise the audience too soon but opening the door just so much at a time, inch by vigilant inch until the full effect comes tumbling down and through the wide music driven chasm with the finesse of well driven articulated lorry smashing down barriers and preconceptions.
Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado’s set offers much into the world the feeling of accomplishment, of knowing that whatever it takes in life, to perform this well is no stroke of luck. Songs such as Paradise, Baby Please Don’t Go, China Gate, the utterly brilliant Let The Good Times Roll and I Won’t Let You Down are more than well received, they can be heard to strike sheer ecstasy into the German crowd; it is an ecstasy that really deserves to be felt across the English Channel and in as many venues as possible.
Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado Songs From The Road is a C.D. is a source of pleasure that never lets up, it builds to the dynamic crescendo and then soars beyond what is expected, a night were the green eyes of jealousy are to be felt burning in the back of the minds of those fortunate enough to have been in the live presence of the band; A cracking evening caught for prosperity in Songs From The Road.
Ian D. Hall