You listen to music long enough, and you end up seeing the damnedest things. Take, for instance, this record. Who is Kid Andersen? Well, let’s see. He’s a Norwegian bluesman. No, really. He’s been in the U.S. for about three years, and seems to have absorbed the blues.

Now when I say absorbed, you might think he’s parroting the things he’s heard on old records. That doesn’t appear to be the case. Many of the cuts here are written by the Kid, and the feel and emotional content appear to be all his own, and not borrowed from a music source.

“Aquavit Boogie” is an ode to the drink that has highlighted many a weekend. The distorted boogie perfectly fits the subject matter. There’s a nice cover of “Walkin’ Thru the Park” that features Mark Hummell on harp. The two of them run through this Muddy Waters stomper with reckless abandon, both soloing wonderfully. The menacing “You Ain’t So Pretty No More” is a nasty goodbye to an ex that lets the Kid showcase some of his chops.

The influences here are all the greats of the American blues pantheon. A lot of the tunes have a real West Coast feel, and T-Bone Walker definitely shows up. The Chicago Blues are represented, as well, and the slow blues of “Someday You Got To Pay” makes it apparentthat early B.B. King music made its way to Norway.

This record shows a young man developing into a fine player. My guess is the Kid will be heard from for many years to come, as he continues to grow on record, and on stage.