Translation of the German review:

Singer Chris Ellis and guitarist Edis Mano founded the Ellis Mano Band in 2017 after both had already made a name for themselves in the Swiss music scene. Chris Ellis studied music and was a member of the a cappella group a-live until 2020. Edis Mano has a background in sound engineering and was a guitarist with dialect singer Kunz in the 2010s. Drummer Nico Looser and bassist Severin Graf are studio and session musicians with international experience. They have played with Max Mutzke, Stefan Raab and Tracy Chapman. Together with Lukas Bosshardt on keyboards, they form a Swiss blues rock band. Manuel Halter played keyboards and Hammond organ on the album A Lifetime I Want You Back, which is discussed here. The band released their first single Whiskey at the beginning of 2018 and the song Here and Now in the same year. In September 2018, the studio live session for the album A Lifetime I Want You Back took place in front of 180 music lovers at Ralph Zünd's 2INCH-RECORD music studio in Switzerland. The Ellis Mano Band's official debut album Here And Now was released in May 2019 and immediately reached number 8 in the Swiss charts. In 2024, they played as the support band for Deep Purple.

Most of the songs on A Lifetime I Want You Back build up from a quiet beginning and increase as they progress. From the very first song A Lifetime, after the guitar, vocals, the slowly floating Hammond organ, drums and bass had started, it was clear that I was going to love this album. Over the course of the album, elements of blues rock and a pinch of pop are combined with rock, which can sometimes come across in a slightly heavier style. The well-crafted melody lines and choruses trigger different emotional levels in me. The ballad style hits you right in the heart, the solos touch you and the rocking sequences make your feet and body sway. The studio concert comes from the audio tape as thrilling as a live act. When singer Chris Ellis reaches the point of ecstasy during the song Bad Water, there is no stopping me. I turn the song back to the beginning and turn the volume up (sorry, dear neighbors).

The band harmonizes perfectly: Edis Mano's guitar mainly functions as an accompanying instrument and sometimes breaks out into a solo. Nico Looser's drums and Severin Graf's bass form the foundation for the sometimes-powerful songs. Manuel Halter rounds off the action with his keyboard interludes.

So, if you like blues rock with powerful vocals and instruments, this master tape copy is an excellent choice. Despite the sometimes-high density of instruments, the sound comes out of my speakers in a very relaxed and vivid way. You can see the musicians in front of you on the virtual stereo stage. Everyone involved has done a great job. You can't do better than that. How good that there is Ralph Zünd, who produces uncompromisingly good software for lovers of analog music!

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)