The press on 'Powderblue'

By: Henk
On: Folkforum, February 18, 2004

Marjolein van der Klauw won the Grote Prijs van Nederland in 1998, category singer/songwriter. I saw her name a couple of months ago in connection with the KHL-Live project in Amsterdam where she is the power behind the throne. KHL-Live is like the De Buut in Eindhoven where every Monday night Ad van Meurs collects money for artists he allows to play there. Recently in De Buut it was Powder Blue's turn, the band where guitar player/singer Marjolein van der Klauw is being assisted by that sublime picker of strings Jac Bico. I heard it had been great. Still feeling fed up for having missed the event, the duo's Powderblue album fell through the letter box. Having heard it a couple of times the annoyed feeling of not having been there when they were playing live, has only increased. What a class act. This is country/singer-songwriter music of international standing.
Jac Bico produces amazing riffs on his guitar. He is a miraculous player anyway. Apart from the normal acoustic guitar he plays electric guitar, dobro, bass guitar, pedal steel and banjo. Marjolein van der Klauw plays acoustic guitar and is blessed with a clear, natural voice which compares favourably with all those beautiful voices from across the Atlantic Ocean. The two are being assisted by decent musicians like contrabass player Gert-Jan Blom (Kleine Blote Liedjes a.o.) blues drummer Boyd Small and Ton van Bergeijk on mouth organ.
The repertoire is varied. From desert country (Send Them All Away) to subtle finger picking and singing (Rosie). From hopping country tune with steel and banjo (Upstairs, Downstairs) to the intimate Things To Do only accompanied by dobro. Initially it seemed my ears, usually tuned in to folk, had to be re-adjusted to country, but that was not borne out by the rest of the cd.
With songs three and four things really get going. New Year's Eve is a leisurely rolling song with a pretty solo on electric guitar, while the next song, the beautiful Things To Do is being coloured in with imeasurable depth by Bico on dobro. You find another piece of Bico bravado in the slow swing of I Wear Your Jeans where his banjo playing is just ever so nicely floating alongside.
Marjolein van der Klauw wrote all the songs, Dry Town from Gillian Welch & David Rawlings excepted. No wonder that Powderblue chose one of their songs. They are two comparable combinations. Only Welch's voice is slightly dreamier.
This second album of Powderblue (the first So Much To Cover was released in 2002) has been mainly recorded at Jac Bico's. The quality of the sound is perfect. When mixing BJ Baartmans looked over the shoulders of Joeri Saal and Peter Riebeek.

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