CHRISTINA SKJOLBERG – Come And Get It
Ruf Records
The cd case says it all, really, yet another young blonde Scandinavian dressed in leather, posing with a guitar. Christina Skjolberg hails from Norway, has a Jimi Hendrix tattoo on her shoulder, but by the end of the 40 minutes and 11 tracks, you might find yourself wanting less cliché and a little more Skjolberg. Track after track features riff orientated jams, although the slower paced Moving On stands out for its melancholic, soulful approach. Beyond that, Come And Get It consists of good, optimistic tracks following the path of the opening title track. Skjolberg uses her upper vocal register against a backdrop of steady, simple rhythm and her tight playing. On paper, this might sound great, but after a while this can feel tired. Lyrically it doesn’t set the world alight either, although the two covers, Michael Landau’s Bullet and Luther Allison’s I’m Back help out on that front.
This CD is not a bad listen, the workings of a good blues/rock album are there, despite the inflexibility of Skjolberg. Whether or not it’s worth multiple spins though is up for debate.
CLIVE RAWLINGS
