Review By Darren McIntyre images By Scott Anderson
Erja Lyytinen is a singer/songwriter/guitarist from Kuopio, Finland who has been performing since 2002. Erja began playing guitar at age 15 and around the same time began writing her material, Erja studied at Malmo Musikhogskolan & Sibelius Academy in Finland and this has stood her in good stead as she has opened for the likes of Robert Plant, Tom Jones and played with Joe Bonamassa, Jennifer Batten, Sonny Landreth & Carlos Santana. Erja has given us 11 studio albums, 4 live albums with the last being Diamonds On The Road which is the name of this tour.
Tonight Erja stops off in Edinburgh @ Voodoo Rooms to bring us a blistering night of blues/rock that will certainly take our breath away, the place is packed to the rafters as the pa blasts out some house tunes before the boys enter this grand hall to a hail of thunderous clapping and hollering, the boys take their places as the place falls deadly silent and enter the Queen of the slide guitar who is pumped to be here in Auld Reekie again, Edinburgh Blues Club brought her here in 2015 so it was awesome to see her again, she lets rip on her guitar as she whips the crowd into a frenzy and bellows out Hello Edinburgh which brought a huge cheer from this swelling crowd. As she takes her place on stage she shreds with sheer effortless precision and tells us she is a little wired having come off a flight a couple of days ago from Australia where she played the Byron Bay Blues Festival, Erja steps back and launches into –
Diamonds On The Road – Sami thunders away on the skins and gives this track a real gutsy intro as Erja steps forward and lets her strong soulful vocals let this track breathe. The cool dark bassline is wrapping itself around this crunching blues eruption as we get the melodic licks that are rolling through this iconic building tonight, the place is just feeling the groove as Erja and the boys grab our attention with a thundering rhythm that elevates this incredible track as we rock out with the Queen of slide as she wanders all over the stage throwing out insane licks, crisp grooves and just letting us know that it is good to be back. Heikki & Sami are bringing the rhythm as they drive this sizzling juggernaut straight through Edinburgh tonight the track welcomes almost psychedelic guitar riffs that bring this place to life for sure, we erupt with a wall of applause as Erja thanks us for coming out and joining her and the boys before we roll into
Rocking Chair – Crunching rasping gritty riff that has a cool bassline that gets this track off the ground. We get a snare punch with a bass kick and cymbal taps with a nice crash for company. The bluesy funking groove that is oozing from these guys is incredible as the track opens up to reveal a mellow vibe that runs through the vein of this tune. Guitar riffs with a real edge come flying towards us as the crisp blues picks are delivering a note-perfect section that catches you by surprise with its mellow arrangement and blue-inspired bass grooves that just ooze class. Vocals are flowing well with this foot-stomping gritty rocker that just keeps coming and coming as the place warms to this real ball of energy as she just builds and builds with ease as we stroll into
Bad Seed – this is a real foot-stomping blues eruption from the get-go as the pounding rhythm section kicks in the doors and brings us a deep grooving bass kick that works well with a solid snare drum beat that allows this soulful groove-laden fist-pumping rock n roll classic do its thing. The full-on bass is dropping heavy grooves upon us as the tone just grabs your attention as this crisp bluesy beast does its thing as the place sings along and punches the air with joy as we settle into this incredible artist as she shreds with sheer emotion-filled excitement as the boys crash the party and bring us a funky groove that is filled with cymbal crashes that rain down on us and give this track depth, attitude and bags of swagger as Erja stands front and centre and gives it to us straight, we are smiling from ear to ear as the place takes this incredible night of blues in it’s stride, we roll into
Black Ocean – Punchy snare kick with a bass drum combo that gives us a nice cymbal tap to open the rhythm section up. Punchy drum tones are delivering crisp hits that just make the track a little bit more of a groover for me, vocals come at us and they are a smooth soulful vibe that fits well with this cool arrangement. Solo chords are coming thick and fast and beef this tune up with awesome picks and awesome riffs that catch your attention. Bass lines are coming at us and hit us with a smooth rocking groove that has an awesome beat that just lets the chords do the talking. Solo guitar notes are coming to us and are simply awesome to hear and just jaw-dropping to listen to just let us know why this is the only track from her 2015 visit that is still a firm favourite amongst the fans and takes its place on the setlist and I think it will be there for a long time to come. The place is warming up now as the band reaches a bubbling point and again thanks us for coming out and spending time with the three of them on a Saturday night, we catch our breathe for a second as we slip into
Never Really Had You – Erja steps forward and tunes up her trusty guitar and lets this melodic ballad-style track come at us as we get incredible guitar licks that just allow this track to build. There is real depth in this track as the boys bring the groove with awesome basslines that just melt all over this colossal rocking ballad as Erja lets her fingers do the talking as we feel the rawness oozing from the stage tonight, the rhythm section is leading the track from the back of the room as the heavy, pounding beats let this track open and soar as the cymbal crashes fill the room and let us feel Erja’s soulful, strong vocals as they drive this awesome track onwards. The place is just fixed on the stage as the band takes us through our paces with a raw, edgy beat that has taken us all to another place for sure, Erja chats to us about being on the road and not having much time to do anything so they went out and bought some whisky to take with them on their journey around the UK which gets a huge cheer from this sold-out crowd as Erja takes us into
Run Away – From the outset, we get real soulful vocals that fit this arrangement perfectly as slick, clean guitar notes pour from the stage as the boys come in and drop deep, dark bass grooves that are backed with cymbal taps to give this track a crunching beat. The rhythm section is warming up as it brings the groove pouring through this incredible venue tonight, the searing guitar work is just kicking in the doors and letting this pocket rocket musician deliver a soul-searching track that is rich in tone and depth as Erja steps forward and just drops the hammer with sizzling guitar work that just stops us in our tracks with it’s intense tone and real sludgy beat that is just incredible, we stroll nicely into
Waiting For The Daylight – A slick deep guitar riff erupts with a darkness that lets this monster come to life as the snare drum beats fill the air as we get a funky full-on groove that is just insane. The emotion-filled vocals are flowing effortlessly from the stage as Erja shows us what she is made of as this glistening rocker track pops all through Voodoo Rooms tonight, this is a colossal body of work that has us stamping our feet to the groove that is working it’s way through the venue tonight. The dark delicious bass is dropping meaty funk grooves that run freely through the place tonight as the pounding rhythm section hits us with all it has as cymbal crashes rain down on us and get the juices flowing with its intense beat. Erja steps forward and brings us a real blues-soaked guitar solo that has crisp, clean licks that show us what this young lady is made of for sure, we are warming up as we rock into
You Talk Dirty – Heikki steps forward and delivers a real dark funking bass solo that gets us all hot and bothered to get us in the mood before Erja steps up and rocks out with shredding chords that just punch us straight in the face. A punchy rhythm section hits us with heavy pounding bass kicks that let this track express itself as Erja & the boys reach boiling point with a deep sludgy beat that is full of depth, energy and swagger that has us stamping our feet and rocking out to this incredible piece of music.
The rhythm section is commanding the room with its intense beat and killer cymbal crashes that just wrap themselves around this mammoth track as the slick, sludgy guitar riffs fill every corner of this incredible venue tonight, we catch our breathe for a minute as Erja again chats about Edinburgh and how good it is to be back and feeling the love from her Scottish fans which draws a huge cheer before we dive into
Lover’s Novels – The tempo rises as we get slick, clean slide guitar licks that are wrapped in dark, mellow basslines that just give this track a real foot-stomping beat. The incredible slide guitar riffs are letting this track come to life as Erja brings her soulful melodic vocals to this fast-paced, foot-stomping riff track as we watch in awe of this colossal artist as she tears Voodoo Rooms a new one tonight, the guitar work is just insane as she wanders around the stage and is really delivering a slick, crunchy solo that has depth and swagger as it slaps you around the chops with its intense feel and incredible groove, we are gathering pace right now as we roll into the fantastic
Wedding Day – Rousing start to this punchy tune as we get slick guitar tones that really pick this track up and shake it vigorously then set it down to just erupt with awesome notes that are just fantastic. We have a snare and bass drum kick with a cymbal snap that really opens the rhythm section right up. The vocals are strong direct and have a rocking blues vibe that lifts the track, The bass lines are with us and deliver a layered groove that does this track justice. There is so much going on with this arrangement that your head is turned so many ways, blues gritty riffs with a real attitude as this blues punchy inspired riffed tune takes us to another place as we feel the energy oozing from this colossal 3 piece tonight, the place has witnessed a real blues eruption tonight with every musician bringing the heat in their way let me tell you, we come to the part of the show when Erja pays homage to a real talent as she talks fondly of the incredible Jimi Hendrix as we roll into
Crosstown Traffic – A thundering rhythm section brings this beast to life with a pounding snare drum beat that brings bass kicks and cymbal crashes that just allow this classic track the room it needs to grow. The soaring guitar work is incredible as it brings a rasping vocal tone that fits this groover track down to the ground the full-on bassline drops intense, dark, brooding grooves that are wrapped in the insane guitar licks as Erja lets the music take us on the journey with her and the boys. Erja gets us to sing along and get into the spirit of tonight’s entertainment as Sami thunders away on the kit and hits us with deep, punchy tones that give this track its own special feel as we reach the final track of tonight’s epic show, the incredible
The End Of Music – This is a real sludgy blues affair as the dark brooding rhythm section brings snare drum beats that come armed with cymbal snaps that let this epic arrangement come to life. The sweet, clean guitar licks are wandering freely through the venue tonight as Erja lets her killer vocals take this track to another level as the place stands motionless and feels the intense groove oozing from the stage tonight.
I will say that this is the perfect way to end an incredible night of blues-soaked tunes that were brought to us by an incredible musician as she plied her trade with precision and then some, the track changes tempo for a bit as the full-on bassline takes us on a journey with mellow funk laden grooves that are letting this incredible arrangement deliver the goods tonight, the slick, crisp guitar licks are filling every corner of this stunning venue as we watch this ball of energy rip Edinburgh a new one right now as the track builds and builds with ease as the place just stands still as this incredible musician delivers incredible notes that give us goosebumps tonight.
Erja Lyytinen –
Erja Lyytinen – Guitar / Vocals
Heikki Saarenkunnas – Bass / Backing Vocals
Sami Osala – Drums
Setlist –
Diamonds On The Road
Rocking Chair
Bad Seed
Black Ocean
Never Really Had You
Run Away
Waiting For The Daylight
You Talk Dirty
Lover’s Novels
Wedding Day
Crosstown Traffic
The End Of Music
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