RICK VAN DEN BOSCH (NL)
Coffee, Cigarettes & Beer

It’s an odd combination for sure, but somehow Coffee, Cigarettes & Beer do fit together! For Rick Van Den Bosch it certainly does.  Influenced by styles like Folk, Blues, Country, Mexicana, Rhythm and Blues and everything in between Rick brings us a compilation of own songs and some covers that are not just like any other singer songwriter or Americana album.
As a matter of fact, the moniker singer songwriter doesn’t fit at all for this man.  Sure he is one of those but I prefer to call him blues man instead!

The first part of he album certainly is blues driven!  “Looking for job” or “Bourbon Street” are modern styled field blues tunes. Finger picking blues guitar in the traditional style is found on “Everywhere I go” while “Trippin’ on Water” is made out of more recent styles of blues.
His true origins and influences can be found on “I can’t be satisfied” & “Flyin’ Airplane Blues”. Both tunes are cover versions of original blues men!  While the latter comes from the hand of Blind Boy Fuller, the first one is composed by the master himself Muddy Watters.
Although he majority of the tunes are blues inspired and are reminiscent to the folk blues / Delta blues era of the early years some other tunes throw in a total different mood. “Ensueno” is one of those other tunes. A Mexican styled atmosphere is created through this great instrumental tune! “Myspace” is of course about the new hype, but also inserts new influences to this album. Dance driven piano riffs (and I don’t mean beats but classic dancing) are placed upon a guitar-based kind of protest tune! The title track of the album is a timid song that reflects on your own past. The things that you dreamed of doing are now becoming a routine and consolation is found in Coffee, Cigarettes & Beer. With “Improvisation in G” Rick shows us that he hasn’t forgotten his early guitar lessons and throw in some classical skills build around a folk inspired instrumental!

The fact that Rick Van Den Bosh is a real blues man comes of course because he discovered many of those old blues records on a young age!  Add to that his 3-months stay in the US travelling between New Orleans & New York and you have nice idea how the man picked up al his ideas and influences. 'Coffee, Cigarettes & Beer' is the fourth solo installment of Rick Van Den Bosh and shows us the sounds and influences that where on the base of this great Dutch blues man. While 'Coffee, Cigarettes & Beer' is certainly not the best blues album you have heard, it is certainly a nice one brought by man with a style of his own. What makes this album interesting is the fact that each recording is pure and simply. Listening to the album is just like Rick sitting in your living room playing his guitar! No overdubs or hard production values, but plain & honest music!

Mr. Blue Boogie