AG Weinberger – Sharing
A late entry by way of Universal/Romania this bluesy artist has been for 49 years performing & recording & was about to hang up his guitars when a major label signed him. Go figure, but hey, better late than never. Especially when you have the goods. AG Weinberger has the goods.
With 10 originals & 2 covers on the spirited showcase Sharing (Dropped April 2026/Big Foot Records/Universal Music/49:22) produced by Kovacs Norbert (drum programming/bass/ keyboards/baritone & acoustic guitars) & AG (acoustic, electric, lap steel guitars/vocals/bgv) the songs were recorded in Romania, but the music retains its Americana, roots, folk-rock elements that include some country & cover tunes (Randy Newman’s “Short People”). AG’s version is a bit more mainstream & not as angst-ridden & sarcastic as Newman’s.
Most songs are performed with an abundance of quality, nuzzling guitar notes, & full-bodied arrangements. The opener “Real Love Is Hard To Find,” is accessible & track 2 is even more of a seasoned narrative. “The Place To Be” has good songwriting & Weinberger doesn’t sound like a veteran singer; he has lots of soul-satisfying grooves in each piece. Probably instinct.
Weinberger is Romania’s most respected blues-jazz guitarist. Yes, blues & jazz has reached that far into Europe. AG is an expert in blending American blues with Euro-artistic sensibility & he has carved out a niche that is quite expressive, with virtuosity & embodies a stylistic fusion of his music. This material could easily slide into an American blues playlist. Nothing here even suggest it’s being performed by a “foreigner.” AG has the necessary vocal inflections, feelings, & soul in each composition.
What’s impressive too is AG’s slower pieces: “Every Kind of Pain” is shaped into a blues-ballad in a way that regular American artists wouldn’t do. It’s a powerful little performance…the tonality in his voice, the pronunciation of words, the clever lyrics, slicing guitar work, the mood that’s glued between each syllable. Soul sometimes needs its disguises it moves in secret ways in music. This is an exceptional track. Talk about having “learned” a genre of music – Weinberger has absorbed it through his pores.
Augmenting & clarifying the bluesy groove through a Frank Zappa-type filter is “Blues Is Dead.” A little crazy for average ears especially since AG’s narrative is close to the hipster ranting of Lord Buckley, but it works & it’s exciting. AG knows how to rock too – “Free Forever” & “Soul Rolling Slow” are ass-kickers with great backup singers. Finally, a tune with a soulful Randy Newman-type piano & those dynamic backup singers again on “Money People” utilizes a Cab Calloway hi-de-ho hook. Clever. Universal made a good choice.
Highlights – “Real Love Is Hard To Find,” “The Place To Be,” “Riders of Fire,” “Every Kind of Pain,” “Blues Is Dead,” “Money People” & “Soul Rolling Slow.”
Musicians – Szasz Csaba (mandolin/percussion), Farkas Kovacs Timea & Gaspar Zsanett (bgv).
CD photo courtesy of Nagy Attila. B&W image by Anca-Coleasa. CD @ Bandcamp & Amazon + https://www.agweinberger.com/en/sharing/