A new Dutch blues band with a good-looking leading lady, you will get up earlier for that. At least, to listen to their first CD.
As the name suggests Mariëlla has Italian roots, but apparently there is also Dutch blood running through her veins. The Blues Federation used to go through life under the name Nederblues.NL and was mainly specialized in playing the better Nederblues songs of Cuby & The Blizzards' and Livin' Blues' calibre.
Voila, having said this I will start my morning listening-session and I must say that I am not complaining about having got up an hour earlier, for Somewhere Down The Road is a very varied CD in which blues dominates, but in which there is also room for jazzy influences, funk, rock and even a touch of Latin. Mariëlla proves to be an excellent singer to whom not only singing blues comes easy, but singing jazz as well. Her competent band exists of Harald Koll, guitarist, Michel de Kok, harmonica-player, Heins Greten, bassist and pianist, and John Kakiay, drummer and percussionist. 10 of the 13 songs on the CD are their own productions. The other compositions are from Harry Muskee and Eelco Gelling which takes us back to Cuby & The Blizzards again. All songs have a considerable length of time which gives the musicians plenty of time to show all their musical skills. In the slow blues Confused Woman's Blues which reminds of Flavium's version of Night-life, for one, you can hear very solid guitar-play. The title song reminds slightly of Blue Blot. Blues coloured with the necessary soul/jazz. The singing is top again as is Michel de Kok's subtle harmonica-playing. The swinging Wintertime Blues has got its jazzy roots from South-America and the bossa. The Cuby & The Blizzards songs Sometimes, a very beautiful blues ballad, and Window of my Eyes, starting with a classical piano intro and referring to Herman Brood, are two of my favourites on this CD. The last song calls singer Margriet Eshuijs to mind. Bad Soul has got something psychedelic seventies. Southern swampy blues-rock with a southern drumbeat. And, as aftermath, a real brass section to spice it all up a bit where necessary. The rest of the songs varies from pure blues ( High Fever) to blues mixed with rock (Playing The Game, Come To Me and the Eelco Gelling-cover House On The Hill). Finally, bonus track After Hours is a jazzy/bluesy instrumental in which the harmonica-playing could have been from Toots.
 
As for me, Somewhere Down The Road is a really solid blues CD and it beats me that I have not seen this Dutch blues band on the Belgian stages yet (BV = Ben Vanhoegaerden).