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Reviews

NEW CD! BANG AT THE DOOR - REVIEWS

CHICAGO BLUES GUIDE

Reviewer: Steve Jones

Chicago Blues Guide
Guide to the Chicago Blues Scene

LIVING BLUES MAGAZINE

Reviewer: Frank Matheis

Living Blues Magazine
pages: 53-54

BLEWZZMAN

By: Peter “Blewzzman” Lauro

Blewzzman Reviews
Blues CD Reviews 90

Blues Again!

Reviewer: Giles Blampain

Blues Again!
Le blues dans tous ses etats

REFLECTIONS IN BLUE

Reviewer: Bill Wilson

Reflections in Blue
May 2021 Reviews

ROOTSTIME.BE

Reviewer: Eric Schuurmans

Roots Time
Latest Review

ZicaZic

Reviewer: Fred Delforge

ZicaZic.com
Le Zicazine (French)

BLUES BLUES

Reviewer: Blues / Blues

Blues Blues from the UK
May 2021 Reviews

MAKING A SCENE

Reviewer: Jim Hynes

Making a Scene
Musicians Resource Guide

Blues Corner

Reviewer: Mladen Loncar

soundguardian.com
Blues Corner (Croatian)

Blues Again

Reviewer: Giles Blampain

Blues Again – Spanish
La Hora del Blues Review

Blues Roadhouse Review

Reviewer: Jim White

Roadhouse Album Review
Creates “Acoustic Gem”

Blues Bytes

Reviewer: Bill Mitchell

bluenight.com
Blues Bytes Review

Blues Doodles

Reviewer: Tom Dixon

Reviews Celebrating the Arts
Bluesdoodles Review

Keys & Chords

Reviewer: Philip Verhaege

5 Stars! (Netherlands)
Keys and Chords Review

Southland Blues E-Weekly

Reviewer: Jim Santella

southlandblues.com
7/23/2021 Issue

Blues Matters (in UK)

Reviewer: Steven Harrison

bluesmatters.com
Aug/Sept 2021 Issue

RNR (in UK)

Reviewer: David Innes

rock-n-reel.co.uk
Rock-n-Reel

Blues Van

Reviewer: Attila Horváth

bluesvan.hu
Hungary

Ilpopolodel Blues Online

Reviewer: Silvano Brambilla

Ilpopolodel Blues
Italy

Strutter Magazine

Reviewer: Gabor Kleinbloesem

Strutter Magazine
Holland

ABS Magazine

Reviewer: Robert Sacré

absmagazine.com
France

PBS in Melbourne, Australia

Reviewer: Peter Merrett

PBS 106.7 FM
Australia

ACOUSTIC GUITAR MAGAZINE

Acoustic Guitar Magazine featured donna in their May 2016 issue of the top 10 new generation “up and coming resonator players” in the story “Down and Dirty: 10 contemporary resonator players talk about their love for that nasty sound,” by Mark Kemp.

  Click here to read the article

BLUES IN BRITAIN MAGAZINECD REVIEW

Blues In Britain Magazine (June 2011)
Donna Herula – The Moon Is Rising

DHR-02016

Like one of her major influences, Rory Block, Donna Herula has dedicated her second CD to one of the acknowledged masters of the blues – Block having honoured Mississippi Fred McDowell, Son House and Robert Johnson whilst Herula pays tribute to slide guitar maestro Robert Nighthawk.

 

Herula accompanies herself on a 1930’s National Steel Triolian on all tracks, a National Steel Tricone on two tracks, and a PorchBoard Bass (foot stomp) with tambourine attachment, whilst husband Tony Nardiello adds Collings guitar on five tracks with John Jochem playing harp on five tracks.

 

Herula chooses her tracks to reflect Nighthawk’s full musical legacy – culling them from Bluebird and Decca when he was simply known as Robert Lee McCoy through his highly influential United Records recordings and on to Chicago and Chess.

 

Herula has a powerful blues voice that still retains the wistfulness necessary to carry Nighthawk’s songs, but permeating it with a trace of menace.  She doesn’t try to copy Nighthawk’s slide style but still retains his characteristically earthy beauty, unique phrasing and wistfulness of tone, ensuring that this set is a fine tribute to a wonderful and influential artist, but most importantly is imbued with her own talents and reflects her own personality.

 

Herula opens with “Take It Easy Baby”, her evocative slide complemented by Jochem’s warbling harp, and it has to be said that each track on which Jochem appears is imbued with a distinctive Nighthawk inspired ChiTown feel – the classic “Bricks In My Pillow” particularly benefiting from this approach as harp and slide intertwine evocatively.

 

“The Moon Is Rising” is permeated with a sense of menace which is complemented by the addition of melancholy electric violin – “Crying Won’t Help You” and “Gonna Move To Kansas City” are the nearest Herula comes to pure Nighthawk – whilst “Friar’s Point” is updated from it’s Bluebird origins and given a United Records styled reading.

 

This is the first time I have heard Donna Herula and I have to say I am highly impressed by her work, and fervently hope this tribute will bring more attention to the work of Nghthawk – and – I would love to hear her perform a similar tribute to another great “slide-meister”, Johnny Littlejohn.

(www.donnaherula.com)


Rating 9

Mick Rainsford

BLUES BLAST MAGAZINE

Blues Blast Magazine Donna was one of the three artists featured in the Chicago Blues Guitar Women article that Blues Blast Magazine published on April 5, 2018. Click here to read the article.

Radio Shows

 Donna enjoys performing and being interviewed on radio shows.  She has been on numerous radio shows including on the legendary King Biscuit Time radio show with Sonny Payne numerous times.  Listen to her first show with Sonny on June 5, 2009.