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ALBUM OF THE WEEK- SOUND OF SMOKE- TALES

German Psychedelic Blues act Sound of Smoke have released their first full-length LP, titled Tales via Tonzonen Records. The seven-track release is a follow up to debut EP Eleutherumania. The band, hailing from Freiburg, Germany, consist of lead vocalist Isabell Bapte, guitarist Jens Stover, bassist Florian Kiefer and drummer Johannes Braunstein.

The album blends blues, 70's psychedelia and soulful vocals to create a fresh retro sound. The LP begins with the Billie Holiday cover "Strange Fruits", Bapte does the song justice with a sultry and tender timbre over distorted guitar breaks that reverberate like a songbird on a summer's morning. Next up is "Witch Boogie" with a riff like Norman Greenbaum's 'Spirit in The Sky". Bapte's deep vocals soothe over thunderous drums and bassline that roll along like Bapte's vocals on this track.


Isabell Bapte reminds me of a young Grace Slick full of emotion and feeling. The guitar work is equally impressive with a hypnotic edge with crunchy riffs and solos that are structured.

The music is like a throwback to the 1970's feel with psychedelic charms and mid-tempo- guitar breaks that build to a rapturous climax. "Dreamin" is such a track with blues-soaked grooves and misty instrumentals. Other highlights include the foot-stomping 'Devil's Voice' and the final track "Human Salvation", a wondrous ending to this cosmic journey that includes a spoken word intro and a mesmerising jam outro between Braunstein and Stover.

Overall, Sound of Smoke deliver an album of a whole new feeling to the summer of love with a reminiscent trip to an era of soul, blues with a rocky edge.

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