image courtesy of Naked/Big D Bookings

Album Review: Peter Storm & the Blues Society – Second (Naked)

Portuguese blues band Peter Storm & the Blues Society delivers guitar and harmonica-driven blues and blues-rock, generally raucous except when it’s mellow, always sincere and engaging. The band is comprised of João Belchior (vocals, guitar), José Reis (bass), Bino Ribeiro (harmonica, rhythm guitar, percussion), and Jorge Oliveira (drums). The current album, Second, was released about a year ago. It’s the follow-up to the band’s debut release, First.

“Write Down the Blues” kicks things off wailingly. “Blame” follows much more softly with a bit of a syncopated rhythm, with ethereal musical support offering some prime real estate for the electric guitar to dance lightly through the soundbed.

Track three, “Go Down & Play,” is a rhythm-driven, thumping, moderately fast-tempo blues-rocker, with harmonica and distorted electric guitar serving as the driving forces.

“Meditation Blues” then slows things down to a a crawl, with rich, full vocals supported by very sparse guitar, bass, and drums. At 6:11, it clocks in as the longest track on Second. With its snail’s pace, that’s hardly a surprise, but it goes down so smooth!

The oft-covered blues/R&B classic “I Feel Like Breaking Up Somebody’s Home Tonight” follows, with a confident, funky blues rhythm and a matter-of-fact, cool to the point of being cold, smooth blues-vocal snarl. I also think this is the first I’ve heard a talk-box used on this record. Nice effect! Energetic spoken-sung storytelling “52nd Avenue” follows, picking up the tempo a little bit.

“Blackhole” sports a heavy blues-based rock riff; it’s a soft but heavy blues rock banger that could find a crossover audience among ’70s classic hard rock fans. “Blackhole” has a slow, booming tempo but sports a ripping ’70s classic rock-reminiscent guitar solo, not to mention the distorted bluesy rock guitar throughout.

Next up, “Beatrice,” a rowdy number based on the Sam Rivers classic, is a raucous mid-tempo jam, with vocals, sax, and guitar all serving up energetic howls. It’s also an inspired album-placement choice because it’s a faster tempo than the preceding song, but it’s a straight-up jamming blues entry rather than blues rock. It’s kind of as if “Blackhole” tees the listener up for this memorable jam. Though I like pretty much all of the songs on this album, “Beatrice” is one that would draw me into a club if I heard it playing while I was on the sidewalk walking past.

“I Told You (Not to Treat Me Wrong)” slows things down quickly, with a very slow, steady pace and a relatively lightly instrumented soundbed that allows the listener to shine an mental spotlight on the emotional, oh-so-blue vocals.

The band picks up the tempo one last time for Second‘s final song, “Show Me Your Love,” a gritty, growlin’, relatively fast-paced rockin’ blues number that’s perhaps the hookiest song on the record, replete with a jammin’ harmonica solo; it’s a tune that would liven up blues and rock clubs alike, filling the dance floors. A very cool way to end an album.

With Second, Peter Storm & the Blues Society serve up a versatile blues record that appeals to a broad audience. The album is varied enough to keep the listener’s attention while remaining attention-grabbing even when it slows down. It’s one of the best pure blues records, beginning-to-end, that I’ve heard in a while.

If you’re just going to sample, my pick-three are “Show Me Your Love,” “Beatrice,” and “Meditation Blues,” but you’re likely to enjoy just settling in for a cover-to-cover listen.

Looking Ahead

I haven’t heard anything about the band going into the studio, but after the band’s first two albums were entitled First and Second, what do you think is the odds-on favorite for their third album title?

It looks like Peter Storm & the Blues Society announce their shows on their Facebook and Instagram pages. I don’t see any upcoming dates listed at the moment, but be sure to follow them on social media to watch for gig announcements.