Album Notes

HANS THEESSINK “JOURNEY ON”
1997 Blue Groove BG-8020, produced by Hans Theessink

In summer 1997 I was on tour in the US with my band Blue Groove - we had some days off before the Philly Folk Festival and we decided to do some recording in a studio near Philadelphia. To me JOURNEY ON has a very southern sound and atmosphere and the swamps are never very far away. I wrote most of the songs but we also did songs by Willie Dixon, Rufus Thomas, Leadbelly and Muddy Waters - some of them in a simple arrangement of just voice,guitar and backing vocals - once again by Terry Evans and friends. I do a duet with british bluessinger Dana Gillespie. Austrian Bluesman Christian Dozzler plays some great harmonica and accordion. Cindy Cashdollar excells on Dobro again. For the first time I worked with David Pearlman who plays a beautiful pedal steel on "Set Me Free". Enjoy, Hans Theessink

Our version of the Rufus Thomas song "Walking The Dog" was featured in an episode of the HBO show DEADWOOD!!

------ALL MUSIC GUIDE (USA): Journey On, Hans Theessink
ALL MUSIC GUIDE EXPERT REVIEW: Taking his cues from the '70s output of Ry Cooder, there is nothing in the sound of the Dutch-born and raised Hans Theessink that would indicate he learned his craft from albums and not from being raised in the swamps of Mississippi. His dusky baritone, greasy slide licks, and soulful male backup singers (led by Cooder vet Terry Evans who turns in a stunning performance throughout) plant him firmly into the deep South. The gospel feel of the title track, along with its subtle shuffle beat and rousing yet mellifluous supporting vocalists, sounds as natural as if he spent his entire life soaking up the spirits of the bluesmen he obviously adores. When he and the elegant singers harmonize on "Set Me Free," with pedal steel crying and longtime cohort John Sass' tuba counterpointing the bass, you can almost feel the flies buzzing around your head as you sit beside the banks of the mighty Mississippi. The ghost of Robert Johnson haunts this graceful music, yet the feel is less of the raw Delta blues than of a shimmering, daydream inhabited by the spirits of the swamp. Similar to J.J. Cale, Theessink finds his soul hovering through the backwoods, and with his sympathetic band, he has created an album that is hypnotizing in its intensity. Jaunty covers of Willie Dixon's humorous "29 Ways," Rufus Thomas' classic "Walking the Dog," and Leadbelly's "Bourgeois Blues" all get similar treatment, as Theessink nudges these often-covered tunes into the marsh and mud, wrapping his voice around them and providing interpretations so unique and distinctive it seems he's re-written the songs. An album-closing solo turn on Muddy Waters' "Feel Like Going Home" is a beautiful, sad coda, as the guitarist takes his time languidly unspooling the track, as if he's playing at home alone. In fact, the entire disc sounds comfy and cozy, with Theessink secure in his talents and especially those of his remarkable band. This is an artist steeped in the blues, but like Ry Cooder, one who successfully interprets it in his own characteristic fashion, which is what makes Journey On so consistently engaging, on so many levels. — Hal Horowitz

------Blue Print, UK, May 98
Here are some very tasteful and well produced tracks, including seven striking originals that illustrate that Theessink can write evocative and poetic lyrics. He has a great art of weaving traditional material around his own to create a distinctive and personal sound. This is a highly enjoyable set. (Bob Tilling, Blue Print, UK, May 98)

------Folk Roots, UK, 06/98
Despite the lack of even one Robert Johnson number it's hard to see how Hans Theessink could improve Journey On, his latest CD, and probably his best yet. The self-styled Euro-bluesman has long proved that valid blues can be created this side of the Atlantic. Hans is a smooth and competent guitar player, he's blessed with a deep throaty voice, he's an accomplished re-arranger of traditional material and he can craft new songs that blend in seamlessly with the older works. He also finds perfect collaborators to enhance his music which comes together smooth as butter cream and tastes just as sweet. Among the helpers adding extra ingredients to Hans' guitar and vocals on Journey On are Cindy Cashdollar, dobro; Jon Sass, tuba; Alee Thelfa, percussion; and Terry Evans, Dana Gillespie, Ray Williams and Dorretta Carter on backing vocals. It all sounds great and the packaging makes it look good too. The front cover pictures Hans at the wheel of a Cadillac convertible with his shiny National guitar sitting pretty by his side propped up, real comfortable, on the leather seat. Now there's a man who knows how to treat his guitar right! (Dave Peabody)

------The Living Tradition, UK, 09/98
The cover shows him barreling a Cadillac convertible through a flatland sunset with his National Steel in the passenger seat. The disc reveals a man as laid-back as the landscape he traverses, singin' the blues with a voice the texture of black molasses and playing guitar as if he were born to it. The overall feel of the music is deeply acoustic, devastating competent and perfect for rural Cadillac driving, though barbs in the lyrics banish any complacency. Deeper listening reveals the care that has gone into the arrangements, resulting in a work that is disarmingly straightforward at the onset, but reveals new treasures at each subsequent listening. In short, it's a diamond. Theessink is deservedly outstanding in his field - Nobody living does it better. (Alan Rose)