‘Lightning’ strikes as Erja Lyytinen rocks Stone Crop Acres winery

nnMORRISBURG – Legendary rock guitarist Carlos Santana nicknamed Erja Lyytinen “lightning” and said “She is the future.” Based on Lyytinen’s August 28 performance at Stone Crop Acres, who can disagree with Carlos Santana?nnLyytinen was at the Winery as part of the Women of Soul N’Blues concert series presented by Harmony Concerts.nnThroughout her show, Lyytinen belted out songs from her upcoming album – due out in October – along with songs from her 20 year career as a blues musician.nnWhile from Finland, it sounds like she has played in Kansas City all her life, with a contemporary playing style similar to that of Samantha Fish.nnArmed with a large array of pedals to complement the fat sound from her Stratocaster, Lyytinen showed off technique and style – keeping distortion to a minimum – which resulted in a clean sound highlighting the talent she brings to Canada on this tour. This is complemented by a great vocal range from the artist.nnStone Crop Acres provided a more intimate setting for Lyytinen and she opted for a simpler playing set up – performing with only drummer Iiro Laitinen and bass player Tatu Back. This was the perfect opportunity to show off the slide guitar mastery Lyytinen is known for.nnWhether it was rocking out to “Bad Seed” or going into heavier blues rifts in “Snake in the Grass” the performance was a delight to any Blues or Rock music lover’s ears.nnSantana was correct in saying Lyytinen is “lightning” – lightning struck several times Sunday night in a great performance.