Olga
Now Is The Time
219
“Olga.” Now, does that sound like a name that’s suffered enough to play the blues? No last name, no disability, no stated food preference. Olga even comes from Austria via San Francisco, so her claim to Southern roots is a bit wobbly. Still, she’s on her third album, and her songs have a slick, clean, almost jazzy sound. I would class the music as “Derived from the Blues” as opposed to “Defining The Blues.” There are some Celtic breezes lurking around in “Now is the Time,” an old time country feel to “Ain’t It A Shame,” a second British invasion drum line in “I Won’t Ask” and various other influences. I don’t mean this as criticism, the songs are melodic and easy to listen to, but the blues sensibility loosely knits them together, rather than defines them. This record is nice, but not essential.
219 Records: http://www.219records.com