The Ragtime Rumours - Rag 'n Roll (2018) [Hi-Res]

Calling all jaded music-lovers. The Ragtime Rumours have come to prick up your ears. In an era when the dead-eyed music industry clings to tired formulas, these time-travelling Dutch visionaries tear up the rulebook - and that rebel attitude is all over 'Rag 'N Roll'.

Anything goes on this revolutionary debut album, as the ghosts of Robert Johnson and Django Reinhardt meet the influence of Tom Waits and Pokey LaFarge, driving eleven self-penned originals and one traditional that could have been written in 1920 or 2018."We combine our inspiration for ragtime music with the styles of blues, gypsy jazz and rock 'n' roll," explain the band."We call it rag 'n' roll..."

It's been a rocket-fuelled rise for the lineup of Tom Janssen (lead vocals, acoustic guitar, banjo, Niki Van Der Schuren (upright bass, vocals, flute, baritone sax), Thimo Gijezen (electric guitar, accordion, piano, vocals) and Sjaak Korsten (drums, kazoo, washboard, vocals).

This talented quartet quickly rose above the pack, announcing their pedigree with a run of high-profile competition victories: they took first place at 2015's BRUL contest, stormed the finals of the 2017 Dutch Blues Challenge, represented the Netherlands at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee, and - perhaps most impressively - won 2018's European Blues Challenge in Hell, Norway.