With her latest album, "Smell The Roses", Erja Lyytinen has toughened the sound of her previous studio work. Her guitar comes across as more aggressive, with hard-hitting riffs that intensify the blues rock we've come to expect from her. However, this album never sacrifices fluidity for rigidity, each song shows a kind of hunger that’s legitimized by Lyytinen’s masterful balance between rock and blues.
She is clearly forging ahead on a path that, in the 21st century, shows the blues as a genre that must evolve in order to continue captivating both longtime fans and new listeners. Across these nine tracks, the Finnish artist once again proves herself a powerhouse with the slide guitar, a remarkably original and convincing singer, and a futuristic composer deeply committed to contemporary blues.
I wouldn’t recommend this album as a starting point for those new to Lyytinen’s work, but it is an essential piece of her career. Smell The Roses breaks free from any preconceived stereotypes of what purists might consider a blues album—and that is one of its greatest strengths.