As one of Finland's brightest musical talents, the singer, songwriter and guitarist could have been content to rest on her laurels. Instead, Grip of the Blues is her boldest, freshest and most varied effort yet. She features a wider range of song styles than ever before. To do this, she enlisted the help of the musicians who know her best. "I wanted to make an album that is as close as possible to what I do live," says Lyytinen, who is "reunited" with her own road band on Grip of the Blues following a pair of CDs she recorded with session players. The new album was produced by her long-time rhythm guitarist Davide Floreno and recorded by Kimmo Antikainen, who engineers her live shows. "We tried to capture that same kind of live atmosphere. Most of the tracks were recorded live and I added vocals afterwards."Grip of the Blues is an impressive step forward for an artist who’s not afraid to take risks. Erja can slide with the best blues players, but is also comfortable singing love songs – both happy and sad. At the end of the day, she’s about more than just the chops. She’s here to tell stories.