Solothurner Tagblatt:THE B-SHAKERS - Rockabilly vom Feinsten!(9.8.2022)
Formed in 2008 in the Swiss village of Scoville this Band brings you the old sound of Rockabilly in a new and exciting way. Marching into the next chapter with Shaker Attack the B-Shakers went from raw and wild to just unbelievable AWESOME. Stepping even more away from covers. The B-Shakers are one Band not to mess with, it’s like a rolling Thunder and the more you wait and listen, the louder and more ferocious it is getting until it’s to late and you get captured by the sound of the B-SHAKERS.
Review:
1.: When I Mess Around (With You): An acapella intro to establish the rules and regulations of this Album. First Mary’s vocals are capturing you until the Rhythm section and the Lead Guitar kicks in and throws you onto the dance-floor.
2.: Rocket Gal: Down right dirty is the only way to describe this track. Heavy Slap-Bass paired with a cool hard hitting Drum to lift the Vocals to the next level and riffs from the Lead Guitar with lots of reverb.
Nothing like old Rock&Roll or Rockabilly. This is the new Rockabilly.
3.: Shaker Attack: Up-Beat track that presents you with Mary’s rough sounding vocals, Gretschi’s unbelievable Lead Guitar skills and they used Ogo’s Slap-Bass and Rodge’s Drums to fill out the background to perfections.
4.: I Wanne Boogie: The mix of Rhythm&Blues with Rockabilly is suiting the B-Shakers down to a T. Gretschi’s riffs are driving this track forward and using Mary’s vocals to fill out the rest of this track with the help of Rodge’s Drums and Ogo’s Slap-Bass is a genius idea.
5.: Before I Leave My Dear Alone: Just to give you a break, this song is more a Country&Western track. It is great to hear a different side of The B-Shakers, just to proof to people that they are not a one track Band.
6.: I Got A Hole In My Pocket: Blues? Wanda Jackson? The combination from Blues, Jazz and good old Rock&Roll is the proof why The B-Shakers are one of the most popular Band around Europe. This down-tempo number is just right for a slow dance and to prepare you for the next onslaught of fast and hard Rockabilly.
7.: Next Time: A touch off Imelda May is to hear in the way this song is sung and played. This number gets you boppin’ all night long. Shorts Guitar riffs playing not along Mary’s vocals but bouncing off each other. The forward driving Slap-Bass and Drums are giving this song the fullness it needs.
8.: Chicken Circus: Surfers Paradise. They actually waited that long to show of they skills. Gretschi is tearing it up. Rodge is showing his skills to mix different styles of drumming in one song and what Ogo is doing to his Electric-Bass is out of this world.
9.: Kiss Me: The wave for surfing is gone but in rolls the Train of Rockabilly. And The B-Shakers are back on their home turf. Heavy reverb Guitar riffs in combination with rolling thunder like Drums and a Slap-Bass you just can’t miss and all that with the sweet rough voice of Mary.
10.: Roadrunner Blues: Sticking a bid more to the old school way of Rockabilly. The Slap-Bass will wake you up right from the start only to be stopped by the Lead Guitar and Drums from running away like a Roadrunner. The vocals are perfectly placed over the whole track.
11.: Big Bad Handsome Man: Nice cover. It is well played and the tempo is spot on. So well done.
12.: Cause You’re My Baby: This is one of my favourite songs. Great vocals and so many different styles of music combined is just so cool. All the instruments are just perfectly layered and just to fill out the whole track, their backing vocals are just a brilliant idea.
Summary: The B-Shakers growing with each Album stronger and stronger. It’s not just the handling of Instruments or Vocals , it,s the small things in the background or the way the riffs are played or the mix between two or three different styles of music what makes this a must have Album.
The B-Shakers hail from Switzerland and I had never heard of them, although they make quite a bit of noise, have been around since 2008 and selfreleased three CDs, the 7 track CD Freighttrain From Scoville (2009), Take Me For A Ride (2013) and Let's Go Boogie (2017). In the meantime the line-up hasbeen thoroughly, err, shaken up and when the dust had settled the group consisted in addition to founding members Philipp Uggerli (double bass) and Roger Meier (drums) of guitarist Thomas Grenacher and a girl singer with acoustic guitar, Martina "Mary" Vogel who made it to the finals of the Swiss
edition of The Voice in 2020, and the fact that she didn't win only adds to her street credibility. Besides the female voice the biggest difference with the previous CDs is that the new album contains 11 own compositions and only one cover, Imelda May's tango Big Bad Handsome Man, and May's influence can also be heard in songs like Next Time and Kiss Me. Big Bad Handsome Man also shows the audio difference between a big budget production like Imelda May and rock 'n' roll straight from the big city streets : this CD was recorded by Rawand Baziany at Black Shack in Calw (D). Another influenceis the urgency but fortunately not the music itself of psychobilly, for example in the instrumental Chicken Circus. Right from the opening track When I Mess Around (With You) The B-Shakers got us hooked, for this is melodic gospestyle singing backed by a powerful barbed wire guitar sound. Shaker Attack and the sound effect laden Rocket Gal are in the same vein: contemporary guitar rock 'n' roll, but 100% rocking. I Wanna Boogie is blues bop, but they manage just as well when it's melodic rockabilly (Before I Leave My Dear Alone) or a more bluesy tinged stroll setting (I Got A Hole In My Pocket).
JOHN VANDERTUIN, Slaking Katz Radio, Ontario, Canada
Swiss rockabilly cats The B-Shakers are upping their game. With 2 solid albums under their belts, both loaded with covers, the band has now stepped up with their third and impressive album "Let's Go Boogie" This time out we get 12 originals and 1 cover that finds the band hitting their stride and delivering the goods. From straight up rockabilly to rockabilly blues and surf, this baby packs a punch. Hell there is even some killer harp action thrown into the mix. Highlights include: " Jimmy's Got A Hot Rod", " Surf All Day", "Let Me Free", "Stairway To Hell" and "Jeanny Is In Love With Me".
The B-Shakers have always been a pretty solid outfit. The fact that they are now throwing down originals only makes them better. This is a band that really has found their groove and it's a kool one at that. "Let's Go Boogie" is easily their best and one album you probably should snap up. Highly recommended!
TONY SCRETI, Slap that bass, Collector, Birmingham
Raw and wild tracks from the B-Shakers played in a blend of 50’s style rockabilly - Rock n Roll that I really like.
The B- Shakers are a Swiss Rockabilly band from Scoville. Ogo plays the Doghouse-Bass and adds backing vocals, while Rodge keeps the band beat on Drums all supporting Helmi whose vocals and lead guitar give the band its wild rockabilly sound.
This is the follow up album to the 2013 release "Take me for a ride" and it’s a hum dinger. The album is packed with 13 jivers, boppers and strollers which is ideal for parties or just playing loud. Lots of great originals and a couple of tracks you will know, I have picked out just a few of the gems. “Jeanny is in love with me” which is a fast jiver, wild stuff lots of guitar, “Let me free” is a wild bopper with lots of harmonica and the bands version of the “Ace of Spades” is brilliant. Recommended!
DYNAMITE, Szenemagazin (Januar 2013)
Jetzt wird's schmutzig! Jedoch nicht wie bei einer Filmproduktion, deren Inhalt nicht für Minderjährige zugänglich sein sollte., sondern im Sinne des astreinen Rock`n`Rolls! Die Schweizer liefern mit ihrer neuen CD allerbesten Neo-Rockabilly ab, der zwar unweigerlich an die Stray Cats erinnert, aber keineswegs abgekupfert wirkt.
Beim Opener "HANGOVER" erinnert das Gitarrensolo gar an frühere Living-End-Tage. Punkabilly gibt es hier allerdings nicht zu hören. Serviert wird dem dem Fan moderner Rockabilly-Klänge ein ausgezeichnetes Menü, das vom Personal fachgerecht dargereicht wird! Coverversionen wie "ROCK THIS TOWN" mögen abgedroschen sein, hier wirkt die beigesteuerte Live-Version durchaus erfrischend. Zum Schluss gibt es eine mördermässige Ballade, die den Einzug in die Charts durchaus verdienen würde. Das ansprechende Digipak-Cover und der Silberig in leckerer Vinyl-Optik laufen konform mit der erstklassigen Musik. Die B-Shakers haben ihr Trinkgeld redlich verdient!
FRANK BERGMANN, "Rockabilly-Experte" (Oktober 2013)
Hangover: Kennen wir alle. Der Song ist ein idealer Einstieg in den Tag nach dem Konzert der B-Shakers, auf dem Ihr so viel Spaß hattet!
Rockin man: Was soll man lang schreiben, das ist auf den Punkt gebracht – Ladies, aufgepasst!
Rockabetty: Das erinnert an die Hot Rod Gang aus Nürnberg, hat viel Twang und alles was ein guter Song braucht, das rockt, die Stimmung steigt…
Rockin storm: Ja, das steht an, wenn die Jungs loslegen…let s rock – rock – rock!
Shake: vom Tempo her ein wenig durchatmen, Ihr habt noch ein paar Songs vor Euch!
Whole lotta Rosie: AC / DC? Kennt noch der eine oder die andere… egal... die B-Shakers erzählen die Geschichte von der Rosie neu…man MUSS mitrocken!
All i can do is cry – kennt ihr, macht auch hier viel Spaß!
Rock n Roll Ruby: ist ein Rockabilly-Song, der von Johnny Cash geschrieben wurde und in seiner bekanntesten Version von Warren Smith stammt.
Rock this town / Shake, rattle and roll: Gleich zwei Genre-Klassiker, perfekt vertont – lasst es rocken!
Sleepless: der Hammer zum Schluss, hier fahren die Jungs eine Ballade auf, die jedem die Tränen in die Augen treibt – nehmt Euren Schatz bei der Hand und haltet ihn (sie) fest…
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Beste Grüße und nochmal danke für Eure tolle CD!