The Finnish musician and singer-songwriter ERJA LYYTINEN is the annointed queen of the slide guitar.
Her signature brawny yowls of guitar, high-notes that appear to whistle straight from the freezing Baltic drumlins, and her bite-sized singing voice, all suddenly become vital when you least expect them to!
Her melody-rich blues tunes are always packed with rocky textures, and have been enthralling audiences all across the world for several years.
We’ve described her bite-sized singing voice as ‘vital and fiery’ and her guitar-work as ‘a thing of wonder.’
Her newest studio album ‘Smell The Roses‘ is released Friday March 28th 2025. We had an early listen.
an unwaveringly true blues experience…
Raw Ramp
Title track, ‘Smell the Roses‘ is gritty and insistent. It’s zigzag in design, with a catchy melody, sweeping arrangement, and gritty vocals. At heart, this is a siren-song about denial and clawing desire. It will push all the levers… so, if you enjoy being shoved out of your blues-rock comfort zone, this one’s for you!
After a quick and incredibly exciting riff-rocket opening ‘Going to Hell‘ features passionate vocals and an embroidered edge that’s cutting and acidic, almost Mick Ronson-esque in style. This is followed by a heavy-paced and salaciously exciting verse. This is the greatest song we’ve ever heard from Erja! A step into 1970 and the Spiders from Mars. Bravo!
‘Abyss‘ has an extremely dark spinal texture and it begins darkly grumb. Despite being experimental in nature, the number is an unwaveringly true blues experience. This song’s vastness and shimmering imagery are stunning.
‘The Ring‘ (music video shared below) demonstrates Erja’s sliding-skills to great effect!
With exemplary chops, a classy-smooth synth backing, exultant vocals, and hard-working, no-nonsense boogie blues atmosphere, this song instantly gut-punches the listener. Thrilling!
Words: Neil Mach ©
Photos: Ville Juurikkala ©
The album is available to pre-order from – https://erjalyytinen.com/smell-the-roses-preorder
Erja Lyytinen’s new album “Smell The Roses” is released by Tuohi Records on March 28th.
She tours the UK from April 2-13th. Album and tour info: https://erjalyytinen.com
RAW RAMP 