Red Hot Blues by andy Kimbal

Published: July 12, 2006, 9:25 p.m.

b'Andy Kimbel is a very talented folk and country-blues performer whose star is rising quickly on the national blues and folk scene. Listen to him play and you will hear the influences of traditional blues, folk, R&B and a touch of New Orleans style roots music. Hard to pigeonhole, Kimbel has been likened to Lightning Hopkins, John Hammond, Chris Smither and Leo Kotkke. He performs a unique selection of material that ranges from gentle ballads and pointed originals, to hard driving country blues and slide guitar using various tunings and harmonics. Interspersed between his own songs, Andy also includes songs ranging from traditional folk tunes to more contemporary ballads and delights in having the audience participate in many of the numbers. His own distinct interpretations set him apart and give even old traditional blues a new face. Andy is a great improviser, often re-inventing words and music using the themes of traditional blues stemming from the early 20\\u2019s to the mid 30\\u2019s. "His always expressive guitar playing ranges from frolicking and exuberant to driving and soulful. Whether picking, plucking, or using a skillful slide, Kimbel brings to the stage vision of the roots of American Music that conjures up everything from rambling railroad trains to dark and lonely nights of solitary traveling"... Pam Miller, Big Shout Magazine'