Reviews – Fred Delforge

(French to English Translation Below)

This native of Chicago was only five years old when she started to play the piano and write her first songs, and five years later she was already mastering the guitar… The first high school groups will come then and it is towards a course classical guitar scholar that Donna Herula will eventually go before moving very naturally to blues and similar music such as folk and Americana. Semi-finalist in 2011 and 2012 at the International Blues Challenge with harmonica player John Jochem then with singer Liz Mandevile, the artist will make her debut at the Chicago Blues Hall Of Fame in the fall of 2016 and it is still inspiring models like Son House, Fred McDowell, Muddy Waters and others Lucinda Williams that she perpetuates a history marked this year by a new album recorded in the company of FJ Ventre on basses and double basses, Dana Talheimer on drums but also of a few guests on keyboards and guitars and even from her husband, Tony Nardiello, who occasionally poses a few voices or guitars on the work. Offering with the same talent a very roots folk blues, a ragtime, a track marked by jazz but also sounds from New Orleans, Chicago or the Delta, Donna Herula will not have much difficulty in capturing the attention of the listener who starts to follow it with the liking of original pieces like "Pass The Biscuits", "Not Lookin 'Back", "Black Ice" or "Who's Been Cookin' In My Kitchen" but also rereading of songs like "Fixin 'To Die", "Jackson" or "The Soul Of A Man". Produced by Jon Shain that we find from time to time on a track, "Bang At The Door" reveals to us a virtuoso artist of the guitar doubled as a singer with an interesting timbre for an album which will definitely seduce by its sincerity, its delicacy and authenticity. Fans of folk blues are sure to be in for a treat, although there is something for almost all sensibilities inside the digipack!

This native of Chicago was only five years old when she started to play the piano and write her first songs, and five years later she was already mastering the guitar… The first high school groups will come then and it is towards a course classical guitar scholar that Donna Herula will eventually go before moving very naturally to blues and similar music such as folk and Americana. Semi-finalist in 2011 and 2012 at the International Blues Challenge with harmonica player John Jochem then with singer Liz Mandevile, the artist will make her debut at the Chicago Blues Hall Of Fame in the fall of 2016 and it is still inspiring models like Son House, Fred McDowell, Muddy Waters and others Lucinda Williams that she perpetuates a history marked this year by a new album recorded in the company of FJ Ventre on basses and double basses, Dana Talheimer on drums but also of a few guests on keyboards and guitars and even from her husband, Tony Nardiello, who occasionally poses a few voices or guitars on the work. Offering with the same talent a very roots folk blues, a ragtime, a track marked by jazz but also sounds from New Orleans, Chicago or the Delta, Donna Herula will not have much difficulty in capturing the attention of the listener who starts to follow it with the liking of original pieces like "Pass The Biscuits", "Not Lookin 'Back", "Black Ice" or "Who's Been Cookin' In My Kitchen" but also rereading of songs like "Fixin 'To Die", "Jackson" or "The Soul Of A Man". Produced by Jon Shain that we find from time to time on a track, "Bang At The Door" reveals to us a virtuoso artist of the guitar doubled as a singer with an interesting timbre for an album which will definitely seduce by its sincerity, its delicacy and authenticity. Fans of folk blues are sure to be in for a treat, although there is something for almost all sensibilities inside the digipack!

Website: http://www.zicazic.com/zicazine/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=16511&fbclid=IwAR2QmVKubcEGnr3Fqa4VTndchVlnLZhWaskw3Cp7NoyLj6KFHWJd7DtXRm8Fred Delforge