Erja Lyytinen Releases New Single And Video ‘Crosstown Traffic (Live)’
Internationally acclaimed guitarist and singer songwriter Erja Lyytinen releases ‘Crosstown Traffic (Live)’, the second single taken from her highly anticipated fourth live album Diamonds On The Road – Live 2023, out October 6th.
Erja puts her own personal spin on “Crosstown Traffic” and avoids being derivative in any way. From her uptempo pace, to her ripping slide work, and supremely-confident vocals, she tips her hat to Jimi but walks her own road with his song. The live concert video shows Lehtinen rocking this Hendrix classic with her blazing band in front of an adoring crowd and adds another level of excitement to the proceedings. It’s a stellar performance from one of the mightiest artists of our era. Get loud with it.
‘Crosstown Traffic (Live)’
Stream the new single Here
“There is only one Hendrix, there´s no way you can replicate Jimi, and that’s why I wanted to perform my own take on this classic song,” says Erja. “We brought the song to the 21st century by adding some new elements. Our version is slightly faster than Jimi´s and I´m also playing the song in open C tuning with a slide and that gives the song a whole new approach.”
Continues Erja, “The song is a lot of fun to play live, it´s energetic and I just love the lyrics! There are plenty of metaphors and sexual references, all cleverly delivered by describing a traffic jam, which alludes to how a relationship has come to its end. I´m using a kazoo in the ending riff of the song, as Hendrix did use a comb and cellophane to create the sound of traffic. The result is a fun and cool live track with some interesting turnouts in the arrangement!”
With the pandemic now firmly in our rear-view mirror Erja Lyytinen and her band have been touring relentlessly. With the high-flying Finn in top form, the artist decided to capture the magic of their live performances on their new concert album, Diamonds on the Road – Live 2023.
Speaking about the new live album, Lyytinen said: “When playing live, you’ve got one moment to get it right, and then the moment is gone. There is no correcting stuff later. It is very raw and exciting to play and sing at the same time. The adrenaline runs through your body, and everything around you affects your performance.”
The release marks Erja Lyytinen’s fourth live album, and follows on from Songs from the Road, Live in London, and Lockdown Live. The new album is the first concert release from the gifted guitarist to capture the post-Covid live experience.
“Diamonds on the Road was recorded towards the end of our Spring tour in March 2023,” says Erja. “We played ten shows in a row, of which eight were sold out. The band had a good flow going, and the songs were rolling nicely.”
Over the years, Erja Lyytinen’s sound has evolved dramatically. Beginning with her traditional blues roots, Lyytinen has been simultaneously pushing forward with a hard rock-orientated style of play whilst always keeping that blues sound at the core of everything she does. “My sound has changed since the last live recording. My playing has more of a hard-rock element and edge,” says Erja.
The songs featured on Diamonds On The Road showcase the old, the new, the borrowed and the blues. “For the set list of the live album, we had a mixture of my favourite old songs and then a selection of the songs from my latest studio album, Waiting for The Daylight,” explains Erja. “We also recorded a Jimi Hendrix classic, Crosstown Traffic. I made my own version of it by playing the song using slide! It is so cool to play the song, and, on the recording, it is our first encore.”
Diamonds on the Road – Live 2023 includes an exclusive feature not found in the artist’s previous concert albums. “I wrote a song based on artwork by famous Finnish artist Pekka Halonen´s painting ‘Väinämöinen Tuonelassa’. The piece tells the story of the Finnish epic saga, Kalevala, where a shaman called Väinämöinen goes to the Underworld. The song is slightly folk metal and sung in Finnish. It is a cool addition to the set list, making this live recording my first to have a song sung in Finnish,” explains Lyytinen.
Pre-order Diamonds On The Road-Live 2023 HERE
Erja Lyytinen Tour Dates See HERE
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