Best Of Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado

• 1Rock n Roll Ride04:20
• 2Rhythms Of The Night03:46
• 3You Can Have it Your Way 03:23
• 4Burning Up04:12
• 5Stand Beside Me05:11
• 6Love Turned Cold03:56
• 7Eyes That Turned Away03:49
• 8On My Way 03:26
• 9You Better Pay Attention02:55
• 10You Walked Right In To My Heart 03:04
• 11I Won't Let You Down02:54
• 12In The Back Of My Mind03:33
• 13Heart Of The Night05:20
• 14All I Want 03:50
• 15Ain't Ever Gonna Leave No More03:51
• 16If You Wanna Leave04:15
• 17Last Train 03:26
• 18Paradise 05:00
• 19I Used To Love You03:53
• 20Hold My Lover Tight04:08
• 21China Gate04:04
• 22Never Givin In04:55
• 23Dreamland05:54
• 24Too Many Roads03:27
• 25Baby Please Don't Go 03:26
• 26Sin City04:07
• 27Maybe It's Alright04:28
• 28Through The Tears04:30
• 29Come On In 04:12
• 30Long Forgotten Track04:28
• 31High Rolling05:03
• 32Same Old Lies – Part Un03:05
• 33Same Old Lies – Part Deux 03:10
• Total Runtime02:13:01

Info for Best Of

"Twenty years. It's a lifetime in rock 'n' roll. Long enough to chew up and spit out the artists who don't take it seriously. But also long enough for those who live, breathe and bleed the music to build up an enviable body of work.

From his first appearance on the radar back at the turn of the century, when a handful of Danish blues pub-crawlers discovered a diamond in the rough on the circuit of Copenhagen, Thorbjørn Risager's meteoric rise has rarely allowed him the time to look back over his shoulder. Instead, for this critically acclaimed songwriter, once-in-a-generation singer, expressive guitarist, and bandleader of the mighty Black Tornado, it has been a career with his eyes fixed on the horizon, the next town, the next show, the next song, the next album.

But some milestones demand a moment's reflection, and the compilation is a rare pitstop for a lifelong road warrior. "I can't believe that it's been 20 years since we started on this great journey," says Risager, as he looks back on a career that has seen him storm the prestigious European and British Blues Awards, take the music to over 20 countries and held his own on stages with legends like Buddy Guy. "We're so thrilled to celebrate our anniversary with this collection of songs from the last two decades."

Comprising two volumes and 25 songs, representing the best of Risager's eleven studio and live albums to date, this compilation invites you to take the scenic route through the career of a fascinating modern bluesman. Volume One spans from 2004 to 2012 and captures the excitement of the beginning, when Risager and his original Blue 7 band put a fresh twist on the R&B of '50s New Orleans. The band rocked the clubs of downtown Copenhagen and scored the coveted title of 'Artist Of The Year' at his hometown Blues Festival in 2005. On this first volume, you'll find the finest songs from that era's breakthrough albums. As the studio debut that saw Risager heralded as "the next big name in blues" by respected US publication BluesWax, 2006's From The Heart is represented by the hauntingly authentic porch blues of "Ain't Ever Gonna Leave No More." Championed by the same magazine – who praised a voice that "forces you to listen… one part Ray Charles, one part Bob Seger, one part Joe Cocker" – the 2007 follow-up, Here I Am, built on his reputation, with bruised soul gems like "Heart of The Night" announcing the Danish bluesman's ability to paint music in every color.

From 2010's Track Record, there's the dirt-road stomp of "Rock 'N' Roll Ride" and the glistening country-flavored "Stand Beside Me." And for fans who have known the band as a full-throttle live act since the release of their cult debut, Live 2004, you'll find punch cuts from 2009's Live At Victoria: from the brassy groove of "You Better Pay Attention" and a fiery rendition of "Burning Up" that lives up to the title. Finally, as the album that concluded Risager's early career, 2012's Dust & Scratches is saluted here by the virtuoso acoustic-led optimism of In "The Back Of My Mind." The first decade was thrilling, but Volume Two shows that Risager was just getting started. By 2014, Risager's growing momentum had led him to the door of Ruf Records. With that year's Too Many Roads album, he kicked off his new record deal in style (while renaming the band as The Black Tornado to reflect a musical force of nature who blew off the roof every venue they played). While his vocal was well-established as a world-class weapon, Risager's songcraft grew sharper with every release. His most critically acclaimed release, Too Many Roads, gave us gems like the locomotive groove of "If You Wanna Leave" and the mesmerizing "China Gate." "We were pleased about the album," Risager told Bluebird Reviews, "but we never imagined it would attract the attention of so many people. It was a giant leap for us."

With a live reputation that preceded them, the band were natural candidates for Ruf's 2016 Songs From The Road series. You'll find that white-knuckle set represented by a stormy reading of Big Joe Williams' classic "Baby Please Don't Go." 2017's Change My Game was a thundering follow-up, praised as "a classy return" by Classic Rock – giving us the push/pull rhythms of "Maybe It's Alright" and the fuzzbox grind of "Hold My Lover Tight." And, of course, no retrospective would be complete without last year's Come On In, represented here by the slow-burn title track, plus the addictive handclaps and biting slide of "Last Train."

Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado are far from finished. This collection is not the final destination, nor are these songs the last word. It is just a pause for breath at a milestone that few artists reach, and even fewer with so many classic songs in their catalog. "Thanks to everybody who participated in bringing this album together," says Risager, "and to all our wonderful fans out there. We hope you enjoy the album, and we'll be seeing you somewhere down the line."

Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado

Thorbjørn Risager
In the blues world, a big voice is often accompanied by a big ego (or at least a medium sized one…)

But the Danish singer Thorbjørn Risager, praised for his rough and strong voice by an unanimous choir of critics from a growing number of countries – 15 the last time we counted them – is a soft-spoken gentleman off stage. He is the leader of his seven-piece band mainly for practical reasons – to bring any little issue into a group discussion can be quite time-consuming. He is also composing most of the band’s music, and during the performance he is the obvious center of attention, even if the band has a charming way of passing round the task of introducing the songs between them, so that each musician gets his word in.

And this is a real smooth organization, who has divided all practical tasks such as web master, CD sales on gigs etc between themselves. Which makes life easier in the midst of their heavy touring schedule. Since the start, they have played in 15 countries, and only from Feb – Aug 2010 they have concerts booked in 11 European countries.

But the 38-year-old Dane had other plans for his life. He studied to be a school teacher, and worked in this profession for some years, before he decided to let the music take over. He studied at the Rhythmic Conservatory in Copenhagen, a quite unique education where many of the teachers are jazz- or rock musicians, and where the emphasis is on Rhythmic music of all genres. In 2003 he started his band, selected musicians he liked both musically and personally, and the fact that up until today only one of them left and was replaced, at an early stage of the band’s career, proves that the choice was excellent.

But of course Thorbjørn’s musical interest started long before this. He played the saxophone from the age of 12, then guitar – but the singing was more of a coincidence at first. He was exposed to the blues through a neighbour, a middle-aged gentleman who was friends with his parents, and who started playing blues records to the young Thorbjørn. That’s how his life-long love story with the blues started, with B B King as his biggest hero. Ray Charles is one of his other obvious influences, but today, with almost 40 recorded songs from his own pen, he has definitely defined his own sound and style.

His mixture of genres is something that is sometimes mentioned by critics, who are looking for something of more homogenity. But this is Thorbjørn’s deliberate choice. To hear a band that plays one shuffle after another, or only jump blues through an entire CD or concert, might please some critics but there’s definitely a risk that the audience will get bored.

And this is why Thorbjørn and his band have created their specific sound by other means, especially his characteristic raunchy voice and the band’s typical sound, with its horns, solo performances and rolling, almost big-band-like grooves. So he weaves threads of soul, gospel, rock, R&B and funk into his music, to create a variety and keep the audience interested, something that the band succeeds with on each single gig.

This album contains no booklet.