Things have not been easy for anyone during the past year. Besides the well-known health catastrophe it caused, the Covid -19 virus shut down many businesses and harmed many people's livelihood. Live music performances – the heart and soul of the Blues – were halted, worldwide.
I have been a performing musician for over 30 years, it's been the most constant and meaningful part of my adult life. So the shutdown really shook my world. I attempted to overcome this by doing whatever possible – online shows, writing and recording music etc. Together with my fantastic bandmates, Yair Fine and Gil Katzir (collectively known as "Blues Power") - who have travelled many miles and played many shows with me in recent years – we resorted to meeting and playing at home, just to make ourselves feel better. But really, music is a conversation, a communication between artist and audience, so despite these activities I still felt like I was in isolation, shouting at the walls….
"Talking to myself" is an attempt to express those feelings, release the pent-up energy and frustration of grounded Blues musicians, try to see some positive through the negative, looking ahead with a healthy mixture of hope and irony. It was recorded the way we like to play: sitting together in a room, looking each other in the eye and playing live, straight hot Blues with no overdubs. We chose the comfy shack at kibbutz Ma'abarot because Matan Ashkenazy knows and loves live Blues, and really knows how to capture it perfectly.
I am sending this out to all the music lovers, a sort of greeting card to say I miss meeting you all in a live setting – and meanwhile, I hope you enjoy this new recording!
Some say the worlds gone crazy I say it was never sane
I been knocked down seven times But eight times I rise again
This ain’t exactly heaven But it’s a million miles from hell
Talking to myself, talking to myself
Sometimes the righteous suffer, and evil wins the day
I guess I got some other man’s good fortune by mistake
I know I should be grateful, just to be alive and well
Talking to myself Talking to myself
You can choose to listen, or feel free to ignore
I don’t care, ‘cause I’m don’t run in this rat race no more
I don’t ask for acceptance, got nothing to sell
Talking to myself, talking to myself
Don’t protest the weather, or reason with a mule
Life is just too short to argue with a fool
Seems like everybody just wants to kiss and tell
Talking to myself, talking to myself
credits
released March 13, 2021
Music & Lyrics by Dov Hammer
Vocals and harmonica - Dov Hammer
Electric guitar - Gil Katzir
Electric slide guitar and stomp box - Yair Fine
Recorded and mixed by Matan Ashkenazy at "Ozen Musicalit" studio , kibbutz Ma'abarot, Israel
Cover photo by Peter Vit
Cover design by Dov Hammer
Dov Hammer has been at the forefront of the Blues scene in Israel for nearly 3 decades. He was the leader of "The Blues
Rebels","The Daily Blues" and "CG & The Hammer". "BlueSoul" is his 9th album (including 7 with those bands). He has appeared across Europe and the USA, and shared stages with some of the greatest living Blues artists, including Joe Louis Walker, Jimmy Johnson and Lucky Peterson...more
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