GeminiiDRAGON - Blues Is So Good
Reviewed by Allister Spence • 26 August 2025
GeminiiDRAGON’s “Blues Is So Good,” featuring Linwood Taylor, doesn’t just play the blues; it breathes it in deep and exhales something raw, sultry, and steeped in tradition. From the first note, the track settles into a slow, swampy groove that feels like it was born in a backroom bar somewhere humid and holy. Linwood’s guitar tone is warm and slightly overdriven, not flashy but conversational, like he’s trading stories with the listener rather than showing off. It evokes the spirit of Albert Collins and Buddy Guy, but with a modern edge that hints at Gary Clark Jr., a kind of reverent swagger. The rhythm shuffles with a heartbeat pulse, and the bassline walks with quiet confidence, grounding the song in something earthy and familiar.
GeminiiDRAGON’s vocals are magnetic; smoky, expressive, and unapologetically lived in. She doesn’t just sing the blues; she inhabits them. Her phrasing stretches and bends like bubble gum, letting emotion drip from each syllable. There’s a theatricality to her delivery, but it’s never performative; it’s intimate, like she’s letting you in on something personal. Her tone recalls Koko Taylor or early Etta James, but with a contemporary sensuality that’s all her own. The lyrics are deceptively simple, but they carry weight. “Blues is so good / it hurts just right”; a line that captures the paradox at the heart of the genre, where pain becomes pleasure and sorrow turns into celebration. It’s not overwrought poetry; it’s a direct line to the gut.
The mood is thick and immersive. This isn’t just a song; it’s a slow dance under dim lights, a glass of something strong, a moment suspended in amber. There’s a sensual tension throughout, like the air before a summer storm. It evokes velvet curtains, flickering neon, bare feet on wooden floors. Emotionally, it sits somewhere between longing and release, defiance, and seduction. You can hear the fingerprints of Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf, but also the energy of modern blues revivalists. Linwood Taylor brings seasoned authenticity, while GeminiiDRAGON injects a fresh, feminine energy that feels both reverent and rebellious. It’s a reclamation of blues as a living, breathing art form; not just nostalgia.
“Blues Is So Good” leaves a lasting imprint. It’s not just a track; it’s a mood, a memory, a conversation with the past and present. GeminiiDRAGON and Linwood Taylor don’t just perform the blues; they remind you why it still matters. As a taster for GeminiiDRAGON’s upcoming fourth album “Moonlight Movin’ & Groovin’,” this wets the appetite so much it leaves you drooling. This is music that begs you to feel it as much as hear it.
Blues Is So Good is available on Bandcamp and all streaming services since 22nd August 2025
Moonlight Movin’ & Groovin’ is out September 2025.