Vidar Busk & His True Believers - The Civilized Life

21-10-2021

Vidar Busk (born 19 May 1970 in Langesund, Norway) is a Norwegian guitarist, vocalist, composer and record producer within genres blues and soul. Busk grew up in Langesund, but went to US when 15 years old, to play with the American blues artist Rock Bottom. He toured the U.S. several years before returning to Norway in 1990, and was awarded Smugetprisen 1994. Later he was awarded two times Spellemannprisen, as This year's artist in 1998 and in the blues/country class in 2003. Busk played at Moldejazz 2011, 16 years after the formation of His True Believers. It is almost 25 years since the singer and guitarist Vidar Busk became Norway's most talked about and celebrated blues artist for his debut album Stompin 'Our Feet With Joy (1997). With Norway's most famous international blues star Kid Andersen as producer, The Civilized Life delivers both fully T-Birds-inspired, swinging blues, soulful ballads, and red-hot guitar playing. Sometimes the line between genius and madness gets blurred, sometimes, it almost disappears. They say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. That makes for a neat bumper sticker, and unfortunately, it's not always the case, but luckily for the music world, it's absolutely true for Vidar Busk. Here he is in 2021, 100 % raw and utterly confident. His vocals, vulnerable and unashamed, walk the tight-rope between wounded and ecstatically crazed. His instrument virtuosity is so much a part of him that the execution of chops long ago became an afterthought. Instead, his guitar playing travels in a seamless conduit, straight from the expansive emotional pallet of his soul and directly to the listeners' ears and hearts. This project, produced by an old friend, the award-winning Kid Andersen, reunites Vidar Busk & His True Believers with Norwegian Blues titan, multi-instrumentalist, and co-producer Johhny Aguland, who was a key ingredient during the band's heyday at the end of the 20th century. Original True Believers Rune Endal on bass and Arne Fjeld Rasmussen on the harp are joined by world-renowned drummer Alex Pettersen to form Vidar Busk's strongest unit to date. The material is not only solid, but you can also feel that the man has lived every word he sings on this album. This masterful and mature comeback statement is truly the crowning achievement of Vidar Busk's already legendary career.

1. Last Chance To Hurt Me 03:04

2. I Take A Lot Out Of The Bottle 05:14

3. Gypsy Ways 03:58

4. The Civilized Life 05:05

5. Wait On Me Woman 04:12

6. Rockin' In The Same Old Boat 05:55

7. The Wringer 04:16

8. Long Lean and Lanky 02:56

9. I Didn't Mean To Do It 03:05

10. Tender Hearted 04:33

Vidar Busk - lead vocals and guitar

Johnny Augland - Hammond B3 organ, piano, guitar