CHRISTINA CROFTS SHINES WITH ‘BEST OF BOTTLENECK’ www.dailymusicroll.com October 3, 2025
Christina Crofts’ 'Best of Bottleneck' album compiles her finest slide guitar tracks. Her blues-rock spirit, emotive storytelling, and melodic grit establish her as a uniquely powerful voice in roots music.
A Journey Through Strings and Spirit
In the modern blues and roots scene, few artists command the slide guitar with the authority of Christina Crofts. With her new release ‘Best of Bottleneck‘, the Australian powerhouse gathers her strongest work into one masterful compilation — and the result is both fiery and intimate.
The Pulse of the Album
Every track on ‘Best of Bottleneck’ feels like a conversation between strings and soul. Crofts doesn’t just play slide guitar — she makes it speak. The album is charged with raw emotion, grounded in blues tradition but lifted by her own unmistakable touch.
She swings effortlessly between grit and grace: moments of hushed storytelling give way to roaring riffs that ignite like sparks on steel. It’s the kind of record that makes you feel as if you’re right there, front row at a smoky blues club, watching her channel every ounce of herself into the sound.
Comparisons Can’t Contain Her
Critics often reach for big names — “Lucinda Williams meets Rory Gallagher down under” — and while the description fits, ‘Best of Bottleneck’ proves Crofts is entirely her own artist. She’s not borrowing; she’s building. She pulls on roots, bends genres, and crafts a style that is recognizably hers from the first slide note.
Why Best of Bottleneck is Essential
A curated journey: The compilation handpicks her defining works, making it the perfect introduction for new listeners.
A balance of moods: Quiet, vulnerable tracks stand alongside bold, high-voltage guitar anthems.
A genuine voice: Her songs carry lived emotion — not polished for perfection, but honed for honesty.
‘Best of Bottleneck’ isn’t just a retrospective — it’s a declaration. Christina Crofts has carved her own space in the blues-rock landscape, and this record is proof of her staying power. From whispers to wails, every track is infused with authenticity and heart.
Link to review:
Review of Best of Bottleneck
by Dave Franklin - Oct 4th 2025
If there is one guitar style that is synonymous with the blues, it is the bottleneck, that is, the passing of a glass or metal tube along the strings to create that distinctive vibrato and glissando, or in layman’s terms, pulsating notes and smooth slides. Christina Crofts is one of the best in the game when it comes to this technique, and the proof is evident in this compilation of some of her most popular songs in this style, spanning years of playing and numerous albums.
It is fair to say that her music sits at the electric rock end of the blues sound, the end of the same line that connects iconic players from Muddy Waters to Duane Allman to Rory Gallagher to Samantha Fish, and as such, will tick as many boxes for rock fans as blues aficionados.
“Voodoo Queen” is the perfect way to kick things off, a squalling, squealing, grooving, grinding blues-rock juggernaut and the ideal vehicle to deliver her exquisite and expressive salvos. It’s an album that rarely lets up, even more understated and spacious numbers like the reflective “Lookin’ Back On You” are still very much a foot-on-the-monitor, heads-down, boogie-kinda song.
“Lucy” blends formative 50’s rock ‘n’ roll strut with more contemporary sounds, “Like We Used To” almost crosses into pop realms – albeitt pop writen by a group of garage rock and swamp-blues musicians at the back of a smoky basement blues club – and the album closes with “Escape to Blue” and the perfect instrumental sign off which shows us just what a consumate player she is.
Blues for the blues fan, for the rock fan, for the discerning music fan, for those looking for something authentic, something new, something as an antidote to the shallow sound of the modern music world. I can’t think of a single person whose day wouldn’t be vastly improved with this album as its soundtrack.
Link to review:
Review of Best of Bottleneck
www.sonicrealms.de - Philipp Gottfried / 5. October 2025
With the album “Best of Bottleneck” released via Froghorn Records, Christina Crofts presents a retrospective that can be read equally as a tribute, self-expression and artistic position determination. The Australian singer, guitarist and songwriter, who has shaped her country's blues and roots scene for decades, proves here once again that she is one of the most authentic voices of the genre. She has already gained a loyal following with her previous releases and energetic live performances at festivals such as the Thredbo Blues Festival, the Narooma Blues Festival or the International Blues Challenge in Memphis USA. With “Best of Bottleneck” she now looks back on the most important stages of her musical path – and at the same time forward, with the unmistakable passion that has shaped her work from the beginning.
The album brings together hand-picked favourites from her entire career, that have been remastered to highlight the dynamic intensity of their performances. As the title suggests, the focus here is on playing with the bottleneck – the characteristic playing technique in which a glass or metal tube slides over the strings and makes the blues sing. For Christina Crofts, this game is not just a technique, but a feeling, a language that she masters and with which she meets her listeners right in the heart.
A sound that touches body and soul at the same time
The opener “Voodoo Queen” makes it clear what this album is all about: passion, groove and the primordial spirit of the blues. The song, inspired by the legend of the mysterious Julie Brown from Louisiana, unfolds a rousing energy. The sound is rough, earthy and at the same time hypnotic – a stomping rhythm drives the song forward, while Christina Crofts creates a dark, almost magical atmosphere with her distinctive voice and the razor-sharp slide guitar. It's the perfect prelude to a record that commutes between Southern rock fire and blues intimacy.
The ensuing “Breakaway” is originally from their 2016 EP and was a hit on the Amrap AirIt Regional Charts, where it landed at number 1. Here, Crofts’s flair for hooks and their talent for combining technical virtuosity with catchy melodies is evident. The slide guitar not only flows in here as an effect, but carries the entire piece – a symbol of Crofts’ ability to let the instrument speak.
“Like We Used To” is a song full of joie de vivre and nostalgia. The guitar work is playful, the beat is driving, and Christina Crofts tells with a noticeable wink from days gone by. Her voice is reminiscent of Lucinda Williams, but she gives the song a distinctive touch of her own: down-to-earth, sincere, straight out of her stomach. The song is at the same time proof that Crofts does not understand the blues as a rigid genre, but as a living means of expression that can always take on new colors.
Between tradition and modernity – the art of bottleneck play
The heart of “Best of Bottleneck” is the unmistakable slide guitar, which is presented here in all its facets – from smoky pub blues to powerful rock numbers to meditative instrumentals. Christina Crofts plays with a mix of precision and feeling that few achieve. The slides sing, howl, cheer, complain – they are voice and instrument at the same time.
In songs like “Lucy” she combines the spirit of the 1950s with a modern blues-rock sound that is reminiscent of artists such as Bonnie Raitt or Rory Gallagher. The track combines raw energy with fine melodies and underlines Crofts’ ability to honor the history of the genre without falling into nostalgia. “Stone Cold Tomb” in turn shows her from her rockiest side – with a cutting guitar, powerful drums and a voice that sounds equally wild and controlled.
The album’s conclusion, Escape to Blue, is a purely instrumental number and a statement at the same time. Without words, Crofts tells a story of longing and liberation, carried by crystal-clear slides and a dynamic that alternates between calm and ecstasy. This piece is like a silent commitment to their instrument – and proof that great music doesn’t need words to be understood.
An authentic sound with heart and sweat
The production of “Best of Bottleneck” focuses on authenticity instead of perfection. You can hear the wood of the guitars, the breathing of the musicians, the spontaneous interplay – details that breathe life into the songs. The album sounds like it’s been recorded live, with all the energy and immediacy that make Christina Croft’s performances so special.
The remastering highlights the depth and warmth of their earlier recordings without losing the rough charm that has always distinguished the music. Nothing is smoothed or over-produced here – the sound remains organic, honest and direct. This gives the album a character that soothingly stands out from the often over-polished surface of modern productions.
A musician with history and attitude
Christina Croft’s life path is closely interwoven with her music. Born in Coffs Harbour as the daughter of a Norwegian immigrant and an Australian mother, she developed a passion for the guitar early on. In Sydney, she met the guitarist Steve Crofts, with whom she was later married – a partnership that was also musically formative. Over the years, she formed her style, which is characterized by emotional depth, strong melodies and an inimitable stage presence.
Her band, the Christina Crofts Band, has firmly established itself in the Australian blues scene and has been represented at numerous festivals. With “Best of Bottleneck” she sets a sign: She looks back on a rich career without stopping. This album is both a retrospective and a departure – a legacy and a promise at the same time.
A sound that transcends boundaries
What distinguishes Christina Crofts is her ability to make the blues universally tangible. Her music appeals to connoisseurs of the genre as well as people who simply love honest, handmade music. At a time when many productions sound artificial and interchangeable, “Best of Bottleneck” seems like a return to the roots – raw, honest, passionate.
(Translated from German)
Link to Review
Blues Blast Magazine - April 17 2020 - Review by Rhys Williams
Christina Crofts - Just How Love Feels | Album Review
Self Release
9 songs – 35 minutes
Christina Crofts is an Australian singer/guitarist who released her debut solo album, MidnightTrain, way back in 2008. Since then, she did release a four-track EP, Like We Used To, in 2016, but spent much of the intervening period caring for her husband and mentor, guitarist Steve Crofts, who suffered from Huntingdon’s Disease and who eventually passed away in 2016. After his death, Crofts then suffered from her own anxiety disorder. Just How Love Feels is a glorious return from Crofts, however, showcasing her song writing, singing and blazing slide guitar.
Just How Love Feels is a short album, with all nine original songs packed into just over half an hour, but it’s a blazing half hour, bristling with attitude and bite. With muscular backing from bassist Stan Mobbs (Crofts herself also played bass on two tracks), drummers Ross Clark and Tony Boyd, this is traditional blues-rock played with an almost punk attitude without ever losing its heavy blues influences. Crofts spits out the lyrics with real venom, and she is totally believable when she snarls on the opening track, “Looking Back On You”: “The best sight I ever saw was looking back on you. You were crying on the highway in my rear view.” Some commentators have likened her voice to Lucinda Williams, but there is also some of cold fury of Jimmy Barnes and the wry coolness of Chrissie Hynde.
Equally important as her voice is her stellar slide guitar playing, which nods towards Rory Gallagher but retains the righteous ferocity of the great Rose Tattoo. She is one of the most impressive electric slide players this reviewer has heard in recent years. Her melodic playing on tracks like “Someone Younger” lifts the song onto a different plane.
Just How Love Feels is a blues-rock album that straddles the divide between the two styles beautifully. There are no “pure” blues songs on the album – indeed, in structure the songs sit firmly in the rock spectrum – but Crofts’s exemplary slide guitar playing ensures that every track is imbued with some deep blues. A song like “Just How Love Feels” would not sound out of place on a Cold Chisel album but the slide guitar is all blues. The minor key “Miss My Man” is perhaps the closest to a blues song, although there is also a hint of the Americana of Slaid Cleaves there too.
Although recorded as a threesome (with over-dubbed guitars and additional backing vocals from Ty Coates on two songs), Just How Love Feels has a warm, full sound so great credit is due to producers Russell Pilling and Marshall Cullen at Damien Gerard, as well as Don Bartley, who mastered the album at Benchmark.
If you enjoy the likes of Rory Gallagher, Rose Tattoo or even early Hanoi Rocks (on tracks like “Voodoo Queen” or “A380”), you will find a lot to enjoy in Just How Love Feels. Here’s hoping Crofts does not wait so long before releasing her next album. There is some serious talent here.
Reviews of Midnight Train (Released May 2008)
Nathan Norgel, (www.wasser-prawda.de)
"Midnight Train", Christina’s debut album on the market shows that she is not just some pussyfoot in the blues. Some liken her sound to that of Rory Gallagher. I myself also hear influences of Stevie Ray Vaughan and early Guns'n'Roses combined. But this is only a tedious description of her powerful, straight ahead, rocking songs in which nothing is of real comparison to women like Bonnie Riatt or the acoustic delicacy of a Rory Block. No - here rocks a woman with all the guitar driven power of a man’s world!
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Ron (Rootstime - Online Magazine)
“This is blues rock of a high quality....Lucinda Williams meets Rory Gallagher downunder!”