Family Style – Live In Nottingham

Family Style have chosen well, and this CD gives you the essence of a great band doing what they do best getting an audience on its feet and dancing the blues away. A few snapshots for you - Franco jettisoning his leather jacket and holding the microphone out over the audience, Marco swaying on his seat lost in the music, Davide performing a Chuck Berryish duckwalk, Gigi hitting every single surface on his drum kit. You can't beat live music, can you, and what better way for Family Style to celebrate their tenth anniversary than with this magnificent live recording? These guys sound as if they've lived every teardrop and heartbreak.

Track Listing:
1. Lookin' For A Woman - 5:57   2. She’s Real - 2:06   3. Looking For Somebody - 5:00   4. Divin' Duck Blues - 6:09   5. Pocket Full of Nothin' - 5:00   6. Get Rid of You - 4:13   7. Walking Blues - 3:53   8. Body Painter - 4:47   9. Cannonball - 4:09  10. Thank You All - 0:41   11. Jack Daniel - 4:42   12. Keep My Businness - 4:14   13. I Walk All Day - 5:34   14. Easy - 4:18

Personnel:
Franco Limido (vocals, harp, lyrics) , Marco Limido (guitars) , Davide Bianchi (bass) , Stefania 'Funky Mama' Avenali (drums)

Reviews:

1. Blues In Britain Magazine
It is still a rare occurence for Continental blues acts to garner much of a following in Britain but thanks to some excellent live shows this Italian outfit has etsablished a strong reputation in the UK over the last couple of years. Similarly, the Running Horse in Nottingham is now well known as a venue for first-class blues. Put the two together and the relust is a rtelease worth investigating. 
Dating from 2004, when Family Style was celebrating its anniversary, this hour long CD opens with “Lookin’ For A Woman”, a very fine Chicago styled number with somer exemplary musicianship – a wonderful start. The band’s respect for the British blues sound comes over loud and clear on the cover of Peter Green’s “Looking For Somebody”, with Franco Limido’s vocals and subtle harmonica work, Marco Limido’s impressive and expressive guitar work and the rhythm section of bassman Davide Bianchi and Gigi Biolcati on drums all combining to create that eldritch feel that was the trademark of vintage Fleetwood Mac at their best. The original “Pocket Full Of Nothin’” is a heavy, Howling Wolf inflected slab of muscular blues-rock, which contrasts strongly with the subtle T-Bone Walker-ish original “Body Painter”. 
There are no poor performances here but space constraints limit me to mentioning that elsewhere there are echoes of Robert Jr. Lockwood, Junior Wells, Freddy and Albert King, Sonny Boy “Rice Miller” Williamson, and on “Easy”, the final bonus track, recorded in Belgium, Walter Horton of course – to name a few, but also there is plentu of Family Style. Note too that the longest track clocks in at just over six minutes, so throghout things are tigh and focussed. 
Have I any criticisms to make? Well, omitting the audience participation number “I Walk All Day” would not harm the CD and I do find the over-growly vocal on “Diving Duck Blues” a little off-putting. Even in this latter case though, there is some compensation offered on the same number by the presence of some exquisite Jimmy Reed styled high register harp playing.These guys do know their stuff. 
Rating: 8 - Norman Darwen 

2. ROOTSTIME Belgium 
Family Style is a 4 piece Italian band that has been around the live music circuit for a number of years now. Already 2 CD’s have been produced, 1999’s live album "Live Style" and in 2003 the album "Walk". Now, in 2005 the live CD "Live in Nottingham" has emerged into the light of day. The band itself maintains a very nice and good looking website, in both Italian and English, and this “good look” carries over into the new CD “Live in Nottingham”. All the tracks on the CD were recorded during a gig at The Running Horse in Nottingham with as a bonus Walter Horton’s harmonica piece “Easy” recorded at Caproen, Bredene, Belgium on January 2004. On the album there are 7 covers and 6 original songs. The originals are mainly written by the Limido brothers, except "Cannonball" which is a Franco Limido song. 
Indeed all the beautiful singing is all done by Franco Limido who is also responsible for the harmonica parts. The CD is filled with wonderful Jump & Jive songs with a real “Good Time Music” sound. This sound is mainly the result of the well arranged and very well performed bass and drums. No world shaking stuff, no experiments - this band wants to play music we can dance to, clear and simple! And, in fact, that is exactly what they do here. Family Style know their way around Blues, Boogie, Swing, Jive ...but before everything they are a band - therefore no endless solo’s or things like that by individual members. They are all good musicians who stay within the boundaries of the style and control their playing without an endless number of licks. Listen to some of the, in my opinion, most catchy songs such as: "Lookin' For A Woman" this is an ideal opener for a live gig with fine guitar playing and a harp that covers all of the song. After the Eddie Boyd boogie “She’s Real” there is another Fleetwood Mac/Peter Green song “Looking For Somebody“ a song the band plays at every gig because of their passion for Fleetwood Mac music. A passion that has led them to feature on a Fleetwood Mac tribute CD. 
With the New Orleans rumba styled track "Get Rid of You" - its dance time again. To me this is one of the best songs the Limido brothers have written, with again excellent slide guitar by Marco. "Walking Blues" is an excellent song too, the perfect marriage of bottleneck guitar and Chicago harp, just grand! When Family Style sounds live as good as they do on this CD then this is a truly great band! In short: A drivin’ harp, flashy guitar, and a very steady rhythm section make this CD a feast for the ear and indeed one cries out for more! I think there will be another offering because without any doubt this band is one that can be categorized as “Hard Working”. Make them top of the bill of any festival and in my humble opinion you’ll need nobody else! 
"Live in Nottingham" is with no doubt a success. A very professional CD with a very high Swing-Feel to it!