Swiss-based four-piece blues rockers the ELLIS MANO BAND will release their second album, titled “Ambedo” on 25th June 2021 via Jazzhaus Records.
The band describe their characteristic & perfectly-produced sound as “a sort of rock n’ soul, rooted deep down in the blues.”
The first single from the disc is “Keep It Simple” (reviewed below) released Friday 9th April. The title refers to the one subject on the planet that certainly is never simple at all… love!
Ambedo reflects the process of recording…
“We chose the album title “Ambedo” because it reflects the state of the process of recording an album,” says guitarist Edis Mano.
“Ambedo” refers to the tendency both to reflect and to absorb. Musicians like us do it all the time, especially when we compose new songs and create a new album.”
The band was born from a random conversation between singer Chris Ellis (Christian Ertl, who came to fame via a hugely successful a-cappella show band named a-live) and sound engineer & guitarist Edis Mano (Marco Kunz) one evening in 2016. The musicians discovered they shared a love for American blues and Southern rock and decided to create a band project. The pair “collected” drummer Nico Looser (Tracy Chapman band) and the proclaimed session bassist known as “Mr. Groove” aka Severin Graf (James Gruntz band) along the way.
Clearly influenced by the likes of J.J. Cale and Tedeschi Trucks, the Ellis Mano Band put their own remarkable branding onto classic soulful electric blues.
So “Keep It Simple” is a cantering number, with a slew of cow-punchy, roadhouse rhythms and with vocals as dry as a gator skin left to wither in the hard pan sun. This is kinda chapped…
The modestly restrained guitars and the general euphony of the song combine to create a surprisingly soulful experience. This number soon becomes an unassuming slug of quality Americana… for the heart and for the heartland. Comforting!
The album is available to pre-order here: https://orcd.co/ellismanobandambedo
Link: https://www.facebook.com/EllisManoBand/
Main photo credit: Pascal Berger
RAW RAMP 