http://www.rootstime.be/
(then under CD/DVD Recensies – this review is in Belgian)

TANGLED ROAD AGAIN’ Tangled Road Again from Dan Treanor’s Afrosippi band featuring Erica Brown is a darn interesting and pleasant album. Actually, it’s a serious candidate for our End Of Year List. Treanor is a seasoned blues man and KBA winner for his work with Blues in the Schools. Erica Brown is nothing less than a fantastic energetic and soulful singer The nearly one hour long album consists of 14 songs, both Dan’s originals as well as neat covers. Opener is the brilliantly original ‘Tangled Road’, which instantly nestles itself between the best blues songs of the year! Automatically you will feel an emotional connection with the fields and its workers, suffering under the exploitation that was common in those days. It’s a magisterial song, intensely sung by Erica Brown and the answering choir. Dan’s love and knowledge of and for this music is dripping from this song. It’s a track that over here is on a constant ‘repeat’ and that is sung along loudly. Another song that in itself justifies the purchase of this album is the unreal great version of Koko Taylor’s beautiful ‘Ernestine’. Michael Hossler’s guitar play in this song can easily be called masterful. Erica Brown warns other women to stay away from her man and by the way she sings this you better believe her. The entire band, including the guest musicians, shine in this song. The violin by, yes, Lionel Young, and the accordion by John Magnie on Hey Mister prove this to the fullest. The enthusiastic harp play by Dan himself, and creative drum parts by Gary LaDuke, complete this song. The obligate breather is there with the excellent slow blues from Toussaint McCall: ‘Nothing Can Take The Place Of You’, sung emotionally with soft cheerful harp play. There is another great singer in the group: Merrian Johnson. This lady sings on the danceable ‘Dynamite’ and also does this wonderfully. She as well convincingly brings the slow ‘You’re Going To Miss Me’ by Hossler. Dan’s harp play again is right on, and that same Hossler kills it once more on his with Erica Brown co-written ‘Give Me My Roses’. Brown nearly narrates this track but what a beautiful song again. From the two songs that close this album, ‘Love Knot’ has a Latin feel to it, and honestly this is the least strong track on this release. Willie Dixon’s ‘Wang Dang Doodle’ is a dignified closer of this memorable album. I am not surprised at all that this group took third place in this year’s IBC. The added video clip does not provide the best sound quality but it gives an idea of the fantastic song ‘Tangled Road’. This album is an absolute must!

Luc Meert