When you think of the blues, you think of places like Chicago. You certainly don't think of Aberdeen in the wet and windy north of Scotland as being the home of a hard working blues band. Nevertheless, that is the point of origin for Gerry Jablonski and The Electric Band although with Aberdeen being still part of the UK, this album – "Life At Captain Toms" – is more guitar led blues rock than high purity 12 bar but that's not the point as this is an album that celebrates blue collar pleasures.
Gerry Jablonksi plays the guitar and he plays it well. He's got a relaxed and understated style that suits his material well. Academics may frown but if you drink beer then you'll get where he is coming from with "Hard To Make A Living" being a case in point. Authenticity is all about the feel and that feel is what you get here and, although Peter Narojcvzyk's rather overused harmonica is much to the fore throughout this album, it is the sheer solidity and reliability of the rest of the band that really impresses. They are the musical equivalent of a Detroit V8.
Whilst conventionality is the keyword for many of the songs on this album, and even name checking his musical heroes as he goes along in "Merchant of Soul", it is Gerry Jablonski 's easy going style that makes him stand out from the crowd. To paraphrase Amos Milburn – one whisky, one bourbon and one beer and I would stay for just a bit longer to hear more from Gerry Jablonski and The Electric Band. "Life At Captain's Toms" is something of a rarity these days - it is an honest album.