Peter Struijk

Human Ways

Blueshine Records

By Liz Mandeville

If you love raw, stripped down, traditional Chicago blues then you’ll love Human Ways, a new CD produced by Dutch slide player Peter Struijk. Tales of love, betrayal and redemption in 4/4 time, set to the wail of slide guitar and the moan of blues harp, populate this 14-track CD.

It features both studio and live tracks. Hauntingly spare acoustic arrangements sit comfortably with whiskey soaked 12- bar, full band tracks. The live cuts evoke the steamy, intimacy of a tiny West Side dive complete with audience banter and the clinking of glasses. You can almost feel the body heat!

Peter wrote four tracks including the title cut, “Human Ways”. His muse is the wrong-doin’ woman that drives him down the highway with a guitar on his back. The others are chestnuts from the books of Rice Miller, James Yancy Jones (a.k.a. Tail Dragger), Fred McDowell and McKinley Morganfield among others.

Peter’s voice is as compelling as his slide playing. A surprisingly deep baritone, rich with emotion, the singing is untainted by the accent that spoils some European bluesmen’s attempt at sounding authentic. The vocal chair is filled on four other tracks by Delmark recording artist Tail Dragger who performs his signature “My Head Is Bald” with freshness and urgency. Tail Dragger’s casual banter with the audience adds an endearing quality, enhancing the intimate live feel of the disc.

You may wonder what a review of a CD by a Dutch artist is doing in a magazine dedicated to Chicago Blues. It’s complicated. Three years ago, I was touring Europe with the Blues Crowns; we were playing the Kwandame Blues Fest in Holland. I was relaxing backstage when a young, longhaired guy came over and started talking to me about the Chicago Blues scene. He said he played slide guitar, that he was friends with Tail Dragger and was coming over to do some gigs with him. I gave him my card and said call me. And he did.

Back in Chicago, my husband Carl and I sat down in our living room with Peter Struijk. We proceeded to play guitars for the next three hours. Peter’s natural grace with the slide was so impressive that I had to ask him where it came from: How does a twenty- something Dutch guy get that kind of feel?

Peter said “I get a lot of pointers from my friend Tail Dragger. He likes it traditional; if you don’t do it right he’ll tell you.” I had to meet this guy myself, so we went over to Tail Dragger’s house and sat down to talk to him. I’d only heard of Tail Dragger by reputation at that point. He was the Howlin’ Wolf protégé that was infamous for shooting Boston Blackie dead over a money dispute and landing in jail. He had a reputation for hard drinking and harder living and I was a little afraid of him to be honest. That conversation led to us doing a three hour interview in which Tail Dragger told me many juicy stories from his true blues life, which will be related to you my next Chicago Blues Guide column. Stay tuned…

Human Ways is available for purchase at cd baby and www.peterstruijk.com

About the Author

  A true renaissance woman, Liz is a sultry singer, award-winning songwriter, guitarist, journalist, painter, educator and all around bon vivant. She has performed all over the world and has four CDs on the Earwig Music label to her credit.  With each column, Liz takes us behind the scenes of Chicago blues and beyond, to share unique insights from people who have dedicated their lives to the blues.

Liz Mandeville Inside The Blues ARCHIVE

Photo by: Eric Steiner