Twenty Below Zero
(Bluelight Records BLR 33137 2)
1. Box of Steel
The urban man, wasting his time in the big cities, office buildings and endless traffic jams inspired Risto to project his dreams for a carefree rural life (which he is actually leading way out there in the countryside, herding snakes) into this gentle but soulful country-tinged tune.
2. Raining in My Heart
Buddy Holly, Status Quo, Dean Martin and... erm... Leo Sayer have respectively recorded this tearful classic, which kind of naturally translates into a fast paced bluegrass performance.
3. Ballad of Bill Monroe
We cannot praise Mr. Monroe enough for doing what he did when he did it, with whom he did it and how he did it. This original instrumental by Jukka is our humble tribute to The Man and his ever lasting music.
4. Twenty Below Zero
This moody masterpiece tells a true story from the time Risto was still courting his first wife and he ventured on thin ice... Literally... Twenty below zero... Love can be dangerous...
5. Kolibri
The late great Rauno Lehtinen (1932- 2006), beloved composer and a multi-instrumentalist gave Finnish popular music many of it's proudest moments in the 1960's -1970's, especially at the Eurovision Song Contests. Rane recorded his original Kolibri (Hummingbird) in the year 1961 with an electric mandolin. A catchy little tune, ain't it?
6. Tear My Stillhouse Down
Gillian Welch has an uncanny ability to arrange her words and music in a way that her songs sound ancient and ageless, just as this dark tale does. For some people, to tear a stillhouse down might be a downright shame, but for the guy in this song it is his plea for total revenge. Don't let the rye destroy your life. Destroy the rye.
7. What Has Changed
Risto is waltzing his way through a situation here, and slyly turns the tables around with his sharp and never ending questions. What on earth? Why? What have I done? What is on your mind? Huh, me?
8. Big Sciota
A sparkling and bouncy, nicely aged and mature, still soft and mellow, too seldom heard traditional instrumental here. Plenty of potential, if properly stored shall propably improve and blossom in the years to come.
9. I've Been All Around This World
An old-timey ditty from the endless Grandpa Jones repertoire. Matti's almost hypnotic banjo roll draws you back to another place and time, when women were women and men were men, the globe was huge and the road was hard to travel.
10. Cooley's Reel/Temperance Reel
A combination of two old Irish reels melt into one wall of sound of mandolins and banjos. Sad and joyful at the same time, somehow. That's life!
11. Hey Hey
Jukka put the killer riff in this bluesy rockabilly bluegrass song by Jyrki. X marks the spot way down at the back of the woods. Hey, you! Beware. Don't go there. Stay away. Git the dickens outta there!
12. The 5th of December
The 6th Of December 2007 marks the 90th anniversary for independent Finland, and this tune takes us way back to 5th of December, 1917, the day before The Independence Day... Matti has another explanation for the song title but he wishes to keep it to himself. We honour his wish.
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