Press:

“The classic periods of 2oth Century Blues are affectionately echoed in lightning solos, strong melodies and arrangements, filtered through a recognizably British aesthetic.. Imagination, humour, attention to detail: Eddie Martin has all the credentials to maintain a high artistic and commercial profile in the entire “English-speaking” blues world, where he remains one of its strongest voices.”
Edouardo Fassio - Il Blues

“ Really excellent. Good words, his songs are all really interesting. Eddie Martin is also a very,very fine harmonica player. ”
Paul Jones - BBC RADIO 2 Paul Jones Radio Programme

“Armed with his favored red Gibson ES-335, Martin is the consummate bandleader, writing all the tunes and tossing off stinging lead licks and soulful vocals as well as playing piano and harmonica on some tracks here. His fretwork echoes his above-mentioned heroes, but is spiced as well with a healthy taste of rock and roll. ..The duels between Ellis’ sax and Martin’s guitar are the highlights throughout, as Martin moves effortlessly between styles, from vintage jump licks to a hot vibrato emulating the three Kings. ”
MD - Vintage Guitar

“This is already the 13th album from the busy multi-instrumentalist from England. Over many years he has explored a variety of blues styles. On this cd of totally-self-penned numbers, amongst other things, he pays tribute to his heroes, Johnny Guitar Watson, Elmore James, T Bone Walker. And indeed, in a studio converted from a dance hall in Bristol, this sounds like an authentic recording of 40 - and 50's blues. The rich variety of styles gives Martin, the Boss, plenty of room, and without being too in-your-face, he remains consistently interesting in the foreground. His singing is not 'British', but fits well with this "Vintage” style, and his guitar - he also loves to play slide - also fits well into the musical picture. 14 entertaining tracks make this CD a real delight. A beautiful album, without even a hint of blues-rock. And that's a good thing! ”
RS - Blues News Germany

“Martin is fantastic and on a roll on guitar and slide guitar, and his voice sounds better than ever - certainly rawer and more intense than usual. The horn section is always present, but never overpowering. Occasionally Ellis gets the chance to let loose, however briefly, because most of the songs take less than four minutes. The drummer swings well, fixing the grooves. Despite the keyboardist using a modern keyboard he manages to get it to reverberate like it was a Hammond B3 with Leslie at hand. the bass pedals adequately replacing a bass guitar /double bass. The Fifties live again on this successful CD.”
John Wigmans - BLOCK

“Looking Forward Looking Back CD What an amazing disc! This classic 1940s-1950s style of rhythm’n’blues is something we hear very rarely today and hearing it so vital and fresh, played by a very talented singer-songwriter-guitarist backed by a tight orchestra makes me smile! With all these screaming guitars around this is so refreshing and fun to listen to. Plus, I was surprised how well modern, original songs sound in that old-school setting. A winner record! ”
Przemek Draheim - Blues in Poland

“Rating 5 Stars "Superb" Since the 1990s Eddie Martin is the latest most important blues musician in the UK. Whether as a one-man band or with a Big Band, he combines a guitarist and blues harp player’s respect for blues history with a modern skill for songwriting..stinging guitar.. like a cross between Freddy King and T Bone Walker..and then on "Supermodel" turn up the harp solo which evokes memories of the great solo numbers by Little Walter... And so the album happily progresses from boogie tunes to rock and roll through to Funkblues with "Funky One Too," where Pee Wee Ellis wrote the arrangement. What makes up a major part of the energy the album - and the fun that it evokes for both dancing and listening - is the fact that this Big Band were recorded completely live in the studio. Here we have real experts at work and they have made a wonderful blues album. Recommended for fans of classic and contemporary Blues. ”
Blue Priest - Wasser Pravda (Germany)

“With 25 years under his belt Martin has been a consistently excellent performer..this is an enjoyable album that showcases Martin’s exemplary guitar playing..definitely worth a listen”
Paul Mooney - Blues and Rhythm

“varied, well-crafted songs that skilfully acknowledge but don’t copy personal heroes..Another rewarding set by this ever-interesting bluesman”, (”*** 3 stars)”
Tony Russell - MOJO

“If you didn’t know it, this cool cat is British. He has an authentic yesteryear US sound and can play a mean guitar, sing with the best of ‘em and writes a very good tune...The whole album is drenched in classic horn sounds and very fine playing/arrangements. “Sorry For The Rain,” features blistering slide guitar channeling Elmore James. “Wannabe Me,”again featuring Eddie’s remarkably authentic and fluid blues licks. No one in the UK sounds like him.Eddie’s major influences Johnny Guitar Watson, T Bone Walker and Elmore James, plus his love of big band blues, shines through on this very enjoyable, very entertaining 57 minute album. Breathing new life into the blues, but respect and affection for what has come before, specially the sounds of the 40s and 50s..this album is pretty special. Think 'Roomful of Blues' with a world-class guitarist.Rating 9/10”
Simon Redley - Blues and Soul, Issue 1053

“We Brits often put ourselves down. Yet sometimes your chest just puffs out with pride in that we can do music which is the envy of the world. Eddie Martin is a fine example of just what a bloody good job the UK can make of the blues. This is a cracking album Martin knows his blues inside out. He even lived in the USA for a time, holding down residencies in Beale St in Memphis and in the Juke Joints of Clarksdale Mississippi.. Just get down with tracks such as Frog in The Long Grass and you’re in big band blues heaven. T-Bone, Watson and Elmore would’ve been proud. With bands like this around, the blues is in safe hands.”
Roy Bainton - Blues Matters

“Looking Forward Looking Back" CD Review This is a great album...full of energy, full of fun, sounding authentic but modern at the same time...the whole band plays fantastically well. Just my kind of music, definitely one of THE albums of 2012”
Dave Watkins - Blues Train FM Radio (UK)

"LOOKING FORWARD LOOKING BACK" CD “This is a Great CD. Hot guitar. Juicy Horns. Big Band Swing, the Real Deal. It grooves from start to finish! BTFM Approved” Rob DeFries BTFM
Rob DeFries - BTFM RAdio

“Folk and Blues CD (NORWAY) Not least, his fine guitar playing has given him much praise. And that he should have. He is a skilled guitarist and has mastered everything from delta blues slide to flamenco finger picking. »Folk & Blues" is just what the title says, a collection of folk songs and blues. There is a long tradition of talented folk musicians and acoustic blues practitioners in England. Eddie Martin is an heir ...Eddie can play the harmonica really well with his neck harness. His singing voice is warm, soft and pleasantly melodic when storytelling rather than scratchy hoarse and bluesy. The lyrics are more English than American and are beautiful. While the guitar playing is often so good that you actually want to listen just to the music. .. skillful guitar playing from delta blues slide to finger picking, complemented with fine harmonica. Well worth listening to. ”
Stefan Solding - ROOTSY.NU

“Live Review Trio Hookrock Indoor Festival 2012 "Headlining the festival was the British blues guitarist / singer / songwriter Eddie Martin and his band. From his repertoire of around ten albums he has put together a setlist that stands out from the rest. Not only is he a great guitarist but he is also a formidable slide player. And that is leaving his qualities as a harmonica player and singer aside which themselves are more than that of an exemplary level. The set sounded good. Here and there he played brand new songs of his soon-to-be-released cd “Looking Forward Looking Back”. Eddie Martin knew what the crowd wanted. He conjured up precisely-timed solos both on his guitar and harp. With "Sorry For The Rain ', he started a magnificent performance that lasted until the early morning hours"”
Blues Breeker NL

“Martin consistently delivers performances that celebrate the blues tradition from his personal perspective, avoiding the trap of doing yet another cover of a classic tune. Hearing this disc made me want to check out his prior releases, which may be the best praise any reviewer can offer”
Mark Thompson - Blues Blast

“Eddie Martin is one of the UKs best. .he's equally adept at fronting his powerful blues trio or going it alone, attacking a song acoustically like few can - with his phenomenal guitar playing, his skill with a rack harp, & his inimitable foot rhythm. Solo & acoustic or loud & electric, Martin's a master of both. . he's also gifted with a truly expressive voice -His harp skills, similarly, are formidable .. Yet it's Martin's ability to coin a phrase & construct a song around the lyric that also distinguishes him from the pack. A spellbinding storyteller, ..His greatest skill however, is his slide playing,. Easily the most enjoyable of Martin's 11 CDs, you owe it to yourself to discover his alter ego with his more electric/trio assault. . it's being awakened to Martin's gentle artistry & more sensitive self that's the lovely surprise behind Folk & Blues. Surely his time has come.”
Blues Revue

“One of the UK’s best, whether solo/acoustic or loud/electric, he’s a master of both,years of experience separate him from pretenders. An exceptional guitarist he’s also been gifted with a most expressive blues voice. Add to that standalone harp skills and Mr. Martin’s ability to coin a phrase and build a song,distinguishes him from others. Songs like the haunting “Kind Lady Moon” underline his storyteller abilities..completing the spell with his guitar mastery. His greatest skill, however is his slide-playing, (as) on “Let It Slide”. the acoustic gem, “Butterflies (is) a jaw-dropping instrumental. .“Month Of Mondays” incorporates hook(s) he’s built his career on – beautiful! Harp fans will savour the lethal workout on “Still Chasing That Fox” while the finger-picked feel of “Like A River” conjures images of Nick Drake/ Michael Chapman. Easily the most enjoyable of Eddie Martin’s 11 CD releases. This reveal of his sensitive side is a major accomplish”
Eric Thom - Penguin Eggs, Canada

"**** Multi-talented British Blueser reveals his acoustic side. Eddie Martin is a truly blistering electric guitar player who blows a mean harp and scrapes a mean slide. But this latest collection of 12 original tracks, played entirely by Martin and recorded in 3 days, with no overdubs, is an all-acoustic exploration of the proud traditions of the Delta Blues and the British folk and blues revival equally in mind. There's great musicianship in evidence and it does n't overpower the hard-bitten songwriting either. With liberal doses of powerhouse resonator finger-picking and ragtime-tinged, open-tuned instrumental flash, there are moments that stand equally with the likes of Jansch, Davey Graham, John Renbourn and even John Martyn. and mention should be made of Martins' unforced voice that, with its lonely almost ghostly quality, carries the narrative-based tunes with ease. Standout Tracks: Kind Lady Moon, Let it Slide, Month of Mondays, Old London Blues." .
OB - GUITARIST

“Much of modern blues is based around virtuosity – superb singing, blistering guitar work or impassioned harp playing. Eddie Martin is capable of all of these, but he adds something that blues music is really all about: emotion. ..this is a top-quality piece of work. Great original songs complete what is a brilliant package from a musician on top of his form.”
Venue

"Folk and Blues" tells it like it is..The superb recording catches all the tones of the instruments and every nuance of Eddie’s expressive vocals. Good lyrics too!.The flow from track to track is effortless helping make this Eddie’s most satisfying solo CD to date
FRoots

“On "Folk and Blues", Eddie continues the traditional lineage of British blues players stretching back to Alexis Korner in the late 1950s, [and] manages to play the blues with an unswerving respect to the genre, but at the same time bringing something new and vibrant to the music”
Northern Sky

“as I was listening to "Folk and Blues"..I realised it gave me the strong feeling of other worldliness I used to get when I was discovering the deep Mississippi blues for the first time...A quiet little masterpiece!”
Blues in Britain

“Whether he is playing in a duo, trio, four-piece or any other combination, you can always guarantee quality with his output. Here on “Folk & Blues” Eddie is playing solo. Throughout, the quality of musicianship is the highest.Eddie has a style all his own and this album is a gentle acoustic set, full of songs of quality played by one of Britain’s foremost talents”
Blues Matters

“a wonderful musician, the most remarkable blues musician of his generation”
Blues in Britain

“Excellent”
Paul Jones - BBC Radio 2 Paul Jones RnB Programme

“Essential Blues Listening”
Tony Russell - Mojo

“prolific and impressive”
Froots

"deeply influenced by American folk musicians..Martin very soon brought them under the wing of his own distinctive styling and quickly built a reputation not only for his skill but also for the authority of his playing”
NME

"Easily the best blues guitarist this country has produced since Clapton"
What's on in London

"one of the most respected blues musicians in the UK"
John Clarke - The Times

“his blistering live sets are the stuff of legend”
Julian Piper - Guitarist

""At last a British blues act with the style, panache, song-writing ability and multi instrumental talent to do justice to the blues"
Pete Feenstra - Bluesrockers