Magnus Berg: Cut Me Loose Review
18 years young with promising musical talent that will lead a long-lasting career for Magnus Berg is the vibe conveyed on his first studio album, Cut Me Loose. Berg’s passion for blues rock music is obvious through his seven original tracks, and also through his three cover songs; “Kansas City Blues,” “Hoochie Coochie Man,” and “San-Ho-Zay.” Berg’s display of talent has captured the attention of many in the blues rock music scene, and rightfully so. As the genre breaks boundaries through incorporation of diverse instrumentation and arrangement stylings, Berg uses this to his advantage. By incorporating stylings from ’70s-era rock n roll, like the Zeppelin-esque opening riffs heard on “Drifitng,” to blending gritty vocal techniques displayed by blues legends like Muddy Waters, and trickling all the way down to swinging blues-country harmonicas as a staple in the album’s instrumentation, Berg has concocted the perfect stew of a great blues rock album.
Boot-stomping tracks like “Drifiting,” and the title track “Cut Me Loose,” showcase the knack Berg has for incorporating elements that make the blues rock genre shine. Heavy, wailing guitars matched with screaming harmonicas and stomping percussions greet the forefront of these tracks. The back half of the album lives up to the same power and hype introduced by the first half, with big, robust songs like “St. Pete Boogie,” which has a familiar melody, reminiscent to that of ZZ Top’s song, “Tush.” But it is the risky take on some of the best blues rock tunes, “Kansas City Blues,” “Hoochie Coochie Man,” and “San-Ho-Zay,” that demand attention on this album. Allowing his true musical abilities to shine through on these tracks, Berg captures the essence of rock n roll blues stylings that the original versions encapsulate.
Though Berg clearly demonstrates his appreciation and passion, along with pure natural ability to live up to, and be as great of a musician as the great blues artists that came before him, each track ends with an sense of openness, for Berg to continue to grow in music creation. Covers are an area of music where artists can truly shine through on their own, taking a song they appreciate and creating a style so unique, the audience doesn’t suspect the song is from a different artist. While Berg throws a generous amount of homage to these legendary tunes by adding his own flair, his covers leave an open space to limitless possibilities. It is the open-to-growth-of-more-greatness on these tracks that showcase the true potential Berg has to completely revolutionize the future of blues rock music. That being said, Berg’s talent and drive to create as well as the blues rock legends before him, comes through in screaming color in the areas of Cut Me Loose that are generally viewed in black and white, in blues rock music.
The Review: 7.5/10
Can’t Miss Tracks
– Drifiting
– When You Leave Me
– Cut Me Loose
– When It’s Gone (featuring Kristen Thien)
– St. Pete Boogie
The Big Hit
– St. Pete Boogie
Review by Jackalynn Howell