Review BY Halina Wegner
Croatian blues-rockers Voodoo Ramble return with fire in their bellies and soul in their strings on their fourth studio album, In The Heart Of The City, released via CD Baby. More than just another step in their evolution, this album is a culmination of everything the band has explored up to this point — and it’s arguably their strongest statement yet. Driven by Boris Zamba’s impassioned vocals, finely crafted songwriting, and a rotating cast of stellar guest musicians, the record is a muscular, emotionally resonant celebration of modern blues-rock done right.
For a band known to blur the lines between classic rock and contemporary blues, In The Heart Of The City is a masterclass in that very fusion. Add in the star power of Muddy Manninen (ex-Wishbone Ash), British blues legend Mick Pini, and Marcus Flynn (The Guitar Legends, 10cc, Mike & The Mechanics), and you’ve got an album that doesn’t just pay homage to the greats — it adds to the canon. This album isn’t just about individual songs — it’s about feel. Whether in the laid-back swing of “Cold Hearted Woman” or the hard-driving title track, there’s a unified energy across all ten cuts: an authenticity that can only come from years of lived experience, musical chemistry, and the fearless pursuit of groove.
The guest appearances are as tasteful as they are powerful. Muddy Manninen turns in a smouldering slide guitar performance on “Midnight Ride,” his intuitive feel adding real cinematic weight to this tale of forbidden love. Equally stirring is Mick Pini’s contribution to “I’m A Bluesman Baby” — a song recorded in one spontaneous take at Pini’s German studio. It’s old-school blues magic: two seasoned players vibing in real time, and the result is electric. And then there’s Marcus Flynn, who adds flash and fire on “4000 Years Old” with a slide solo that lifts the track from heartfelt balladry into the stratosphere. Zamba calls him the “fingers of fury,” and it’s easy to hear why — the solo is both technically jaw-dropping and emotionally devastating.
The entire project is glued together by the tight core of the band. Zamba himself plays both guitar and bass across the album, delivering riffs that groove, solos that sting, and basslines that throb with intent. Damir Šomen’s drumming is crisp and dynamic, propelling each track forward with subtle shifts in rhythm and drive. Neven Resnik’s work on keyboards, guitar, and bass adds texture and layers that keep each arrangement feeling full and organic. Backing vocalists Ana Cakovic and Ana-Maria Ocvirk add color and soul where needed, never overstepping but always enhancing.
The album is masterfully mixed and produced by Dragutin Smokrovic-Smokva, also known as “The Fig,” whose fingerprints are all over the record’s clean yet warm sound.
1. In the Heart of the City
The album’s title track sets the tone beautifully. A gritty exploration of the emotional traffic jams we navigate in love and life, it fuses searing vocals with tight guitar work, painting a sonic portrait of urban blues that feels both intimate and universal.
2. Take You Home
One of the more dynamic arrangements on the record, “Take You Home” contrasts acoustic strums with electric licks, underpinned by standout drumming from Šomen. The middle eight is particularly inventive, revealing the band’s flair for storytelling within structure.
3. Midnight Ride
This sultry, slide-driven track channels the spirit of Robert Johnson while adding modern fire. The blend of Zamba’s vocal and Manninen’s guitar lines makes it one of the album’s highlights — an atmospheric slice of blues theatre.
4. I’m A Bluesman Baby
Blues in its rawest form. Zamba and Pini plug in and play like old souls reunited. There’s spontaneity here, and that elusive “in the moment” feel that gives the song its authenticity. If you’re not sold on the album by this point, this track will seal the deal.
5. 4000 Years Old
With lyrics inspired by enduring love and the symbolic strength of the olive tree, this is one of the album’s most poetic moments. Zamba’s vocal is tender, and Flynn’s guitar solo adds a burst of sonic drama that elevates the song to instant classic status.
6. Don’t Leave Me 4 Good
This is Boris at his most emotionally raw — soaring guitar leads, a punchy horn arrangement, and an almost cinematic crescendo. A blues-rock power ballad that could hold its own in any Gary Moore setlist.
7. Walk Away
Built around lyrical ambivalence and musical bite, this track transforms emotional hesitation into a gutsy rocker. It’s catchy, punchy, and pushes Zamba into edgier vocal territory.
8. Cold Hearted Woman
A rollicking shuffle that delivers some of the best call-and-response work on the album. Zamba’s vibrato and solo tone shine, while the song’s infectious rhythm makes it a likely crowd favorite live.
9. I Refuse (To Feel The Blues)
A defiant anthem with eastern-tinged slide guitar and stomp box swagger. It’s the blues reimagined — urgent, bold, and unmistakably modern.
10. Addicted to the Rush
The album closes with a bang. A driving rocker about the pace of modern life, it’s packed with urgency and energy — the sound of a band that’s not looking back. You can feel the momentum charging right back into “the heart of the city.”
In The Heart Of The City is the sound of a band hitting its stride, unafraid to mix the traditional with the contemporary. For fans of classic British blues, modern roots rock, and all the emotional texture in between, this album is a must-hear.
Voodoo Ramble have crafted a passionate, thoughtful, and musically thrilling album that shows just how much life there still is in blues-rock — especially when it’s made with this much love, talent, and collaboration.
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