Ladies play the blues

If you still think blues is played and loved only by middle-aged men it's time to dust up your beliefs. This year we've already witnessed breakthroughs from two very talented young ladies who may have very different takes on their music but also a very bluesy sound. And it's only March, so who knows what's gonna pop up in the months to come?

Let's begin from the minimalistic end. Mirel Wagner is a 24-year-old singer-songwriter who sites Mississippi John Hurt as one of her influences, believe it or not - I mean, how many girls of her age even know who Mississippi John Hurt is, let alone like him? Mirel has an amazing way of creating a dark atmosphere and she's clearly an old soul.



Compared to Wagner Anna Calvi's style is very decorative and she sites classical music and opera as her major influences. The end result is very blues-oriented though (at least to me) and most often she's compared to Nick Cave and PJ Harvey - which must be quite nice, I assume.



Both Wagner and Calvi do a great job in using old blues and taking it to a new level. And I love the fact they're both so young and female. Lightnin' Hopkins was right when he said that blues comes in many ways:

Lightnin' x 2

This may sound like a cliche but sometimes I find myself in a place where I can only listen to blues. It's not a genre I'd know much about yet but there's something about it I think is more comforting than drinking hot chocolate under a warm blanket.

Lately I've been indulging myself with a dose of Louisiana blues - love the way it's so laid-back, slow and dark. Especially two Lightnin's, namely Lightnin' Slim and Lightnin' Hopkins, have a sound that's simply captivating. You'll know things aren't that bad when you hear Slim sing: "If it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have no luck at all..."