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Voodoo Without Killing Chicken - '08 (Kirkelig Kulturverstedet FXCD 340)

The music was recorded at Øystein Greni's charming and legendary studio Grand Sport Studio in Oslo, with analogue maestro Christian Engfelt (Cato Salsa Experience, Lionheart Brothers, Serena Maneesh etc.) at the controls.

The title of this album came to Reiersrud when he was touring Europe with Dr John in
1984. The good doctor's drummer Kieran O'Connor had auditioned for Van Morrison, but returned unhappy, calling the style Voodoo Without Killing Chicken. While he disagreed with the reasoning, the young Reiersrud liked the phrasing, and decided that if he ever made an album with New Orleans and soul references, this would be his title.

This album, released on CD and vinyl, features 11 songs, all bearing Reiersrud's distinctive signature, with 6½ of the lyrics penned by Jeff Wasserman. The band is a chapter unto itself - young with loads of experience from well-known Norwegian rock and jazz bands. After accompanying Ann Peebles two and a half years ago at Rockefeller in Oslo, they have played with Reiersrud on a regular basis.

Bjørn Holm has performed with Knut Reiersrud for the last eight years, and as a singer, guitarist and bass player at Knut's concerts. David Wallumrød also performs with Lester and Jarle Bernhoft, and there is no one today who can coax more exciting sounds from a B3 organ on Norwegian records.
Nikolai Hængsle Eilertsen used to be the bass player in Big Bang and also performs with Lester, Elephant9 and National Bank. Andreas Bye took over the drums in Bugge Wesseltoft after Anders Engen, played in Sigurd Køhn's band. Rune Arnesen, who has been in and out of Reiersrud's projects for 20 years, performs with Dhaffer Yossef, and has been in Nils Petter Molvær's various bands. Lars Horntveth, who wrote the wind arrangements, is a multi-instrumentalist from Jaga Jazzist and National Bank, though here he keeps to the sax and bass clarinet. Mathias Eick is a trumpeter with his own solo career, regularly performing with drummer Manu Katchè.

This music speaks for itself, but we can unabashedly boast of the warm sound from the Grand Sport Studio and the live feeling, particularly these days when most music is edited - digitally cut and pasted. Here the studio lamp goes red, one, two, three, four and here we go straight on to 24-track tape. And let's face it, Reiersrud has never written better tunes than this!

Track List
1.
VOODOO WITHOUT KILLING CHICKEN (Knut Reiersrud / Jeff Wasserman)    
2.
WEAKNESS IS A THING CALLED MAN(Knut Reiersrud / Jeff Wasserman)    
3.
STRAWBERRY MOON (Knut Reiersrud / Jeff Wasserman)    
4.
ANGEL (LOOKING OVER ME) (Knut Reiersrud / Jeff Wasserman) mp3    
5.
JUMPING THE GUN (Knut Reiersrud / Jeff Wasserman) mp3    
6.
COME FLY WITH ME (Knut Reiersrud)    
7.
THE BOY FROM CONGO SQUARE (Knut Reiersrud / Jeff Wasserman)    
8.
BAD NEWS (Knut Reiersrud) mp3    
9.
JORDAN'S WATER (Knut Reiersrud)      
10.
KEEP HER FROM GOING TO YOU (Knut Reiersrud / Jeff Wasserman)      
11.
FIVE LITTLE CHICKENS (Knut Reiersrud) mp3