Enter the blues bunch

Artist: Andre Harihandoyo and Sonic People
Album: *Room Session..* (Limited Edition Blues EP)
Label: Warehouse
Rating: *** out of *****
Standout Tracks: "Hometown", "I Got My Baby"

Some people reckon the blues is all about shaking off depression.

There is nothing that complicated in this EP, which consists of just five tracks. Most of the songs are blues-based tunes sung in English by Andre Harihandoyo, the driving force in this four -piece ensemble.

Some of Andre's musical influences are Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, John Mayer and Buddy Guy. Although the band does not sound completely like those gutsy musicians,the sound that Sonic People created out of the studio is solid.

Andre, who possesses a rather raspy voice, has been playing the guitar since the age of 14. In 2006, the group released its first album Aerodyne. They released Room Session in late 2007.

According to a press release, Andre grew up listening to English language songs, so writing and singing his tunes in English seemed more natural than using Bahasa Indonesia.

Sonic people consists of Brian Jonathan on bass, Ndreaz on piano and keyboard and Adit on drums and percussion. They were influenced by Casiopea, Eric Satie and Gilang Ramadhan respectively.

"The Break Up" may not be the greatest opening song for blues lovers as it has a more casual pop beat and melody. But the band comes in stronger with the second song "Hometown", which has more of a fiery, bluesy tone to it. In the latter, Andre playfully sings I'll be moving back to my hometown, where the girl is pretty and the bed is nice.

The band refers to the EP as "... bluesy kind of tunes in an old fashion but modern way."

-- Alvin Darlanika Soedarjo