Doris Brendel and Lee Dunham - Big Blue Sky

by Zena Grieg

published: 17 / 4 / 2025

Doris Brendel and Lee Dunham - Big Blue Sky

Label: Sky Rocket Recordings
Format: CD

Inspired change in direction on blues-inspired sixth joint album from prog artist Doris Brendel and her long-time collaborator, multi-instrumentalist Lee Durham

Review

Doris Brendel, daughter of world-renowned Austrian classical pianist and composer Alfred Brendel, and long-time collaborator, multi-instrumentalist Lee Durham, have brought out their sixth joint album, 'Big Blue Sky', following up on their highly-acclaimed 2023 ‘Pigs Might Fly’. Brendel, the recipient of the HRH Prog Angel Award 2024, has performed with some of the most notable Rock bands (Wishbone Ash, Marillion and Nils Lofgren) and is known for her genre-defying style and her inventive presence on the prog rock scene, performing in outlandish costumes and creating unforgettable visual scenarios. Brendel and Durham are famed for their ‘unplugged’ shows, with fans enjoying their witty repartee alongside their distinctive sound. This new album required a change of tack in Brendel’s musical choices, with the musician needing to overcome a strong, initial reluctance: “Over the years people kept asking me to write a Blues album and I kept saying ‘no’. It’s too boring. Won’t do it. And then suddenly I found myself writing a bunch of blues songs. I guess if you ask often enough …”. Described as “a master class in blues with a contemporary twist”, ‘Big Blue Sky’, as the title suggests, is a diverse mix of heartfelt blues ballads and foot-stomping shuffles. The songs are accompanied by an impressive array of musicians including the celebrated Sam Brown on Hammond organ, Sam White on drums, Matt Platt on keyboards, Sparkie Dalton on bass guitar and Sam Blue on additional vocals, Brendel’s husky voice bringing out the raw emotions in the lyrics. Songs to listen out for in this thirteen-track collection include: the sultry, yearning opener ‘Long Long Time’ with its gospel undertones; soulful, confessional, blues ballad ‘Under the Covers’ with its insinuating keyboard and atmospheric guitar interplay; ’Slow Wi-Fi Weekend’ with its jocular lines: “I try to stream/But it’s buffering all the time/…Now I’ve got a slow connection/And I’m missing out” and infuriated chorus: “Slow Wi-Fi Weekend/And it’s driving me insane”; the powerful, emotive duet ‘Is This the Last Time’; plus ‘In The Dog House’ with its wailing guitar, hypnotic percussion and soaring, despairing vocals; classic blues ballad ‘Red Letter Blues’ with its restrained musical arrangement providing an ideal medium for Brendel’s expressive voice; catchy, bluesy ‘Satin Row’ with its pulsating bass and drum; playful ‘Hold On’ with its desperate refrain: “I’m running out of time/…My life is on hold”; Today Is The Day’ with its self-empowering lyrics: “”I’m done with conformity/…I’ve been waiting for that moment/…Today’s the day to be myself/And hold my head up high”; and the affirmative closer, the upbeat title track: “Everything is better/Beneath the blue, blue sky”. This new album comes in time for their Blues Album Launch Party on April 24 at Magnolia Park, High Wycombe, ahead of a number of gigs across England. Far from “boring”, ‘Big Blue Sky’ is an eclectic, melodic album with soulful innovative songs which are likely to stay the course.

Track Listing:-

1 No Lonely Girl
2 Ebay
3 Drawing the Line
4 Going Out
5 Passionate Weekend
6 Beyond Words
7 Too Bad To Be Good
8 Conflicted
9 Not Utopia
10 Kind To Be Cruel
11 Thank You
12 You're So Not
13 Drawing The Line (Radio Edit)