Blues is frankly an almost mesmerizingly versatile genre that can flex and bend itself to suit almost any accompaniment. It’s an aspect that has allowed countless musicians over the years to express themselves and yet there is also a very clear and definite line between those who sing the blues and those who play it. Kat Danser is one of the latter. Danser is a musician who eats, sleeps and breathes the blues – her work is simply put unbridled and overflowing passion in for a sound in which she genuinely revels. It’s as refreshing a sound as you could ever hope to meet.

Danser’s latest album Goin’ Gone is a rousing, gutsy, boot-stomping collection of blues tunes that will get your heart racing and your blood pumping. The album is a spine-tingling addition to your shelf that draws its power from the very depths of blues itself. Sometimes loud and brazen with songs like Hol’ Up, Baby it packs a punch so powerful that it could take down a bison. This is then laid aside by songs like Train I Ride which are softer, more subdued although still wildly powerful. There is a rich and refreshing nature to Danser’s work that truly allows songs such as Kansas City Blues to shine through and let you explore each and every note within. However, it is clear that the spine itself of Danser’s work is the spirit of blues. There is no messing around, no variations or adaptations, just cold, hard blues.

Goin’ Gone is a wry and witty foray into the mind of Danser and it ranges from deep and personal reflections based on her experiences of life on the road to the classically romantic love songs aimed at her car. It’s a perfect and exemplary scene that is set atop her stunning music. Steel and slide guitars are beautifully topped off with deep and guttural bass lines and softer, more ardent drum beats while harmonicas and banjo tunes seem to burst forth with lightning speed and in some cases the warming edge of brass comes creeping in. The result is an album that all ties together to form a collection of songs that shake you through to the core.

It’s always refreshing when you hear a musicians own unique twist on a genre but a large part of the appeal when it comes to Danser is her reverent respect for the blues. Everything she does is undoubtedly her own variation and yet there is something so classically ingrained within her work that it’s as though it has been around for decades. This clash of old and new brings about a forceful and virulent album that allows Danser to express herself to her fullest and it’s truly something to behold.