Hurricane Ruth Good Life

Hurricane Ruth
Good Life
American Showplace Music

Reviewing Hurricane Ruth LaMaster’s “Ain’t Ready For The Grave,” I wrote, “Ruth LeMaster earned her name because of her huge voice in a small package  … .” I found that album to be a “solidly performed collection of blues and rock that displays Hurricane Ruth as a powerful and expressive vocalist.” Much the same can be said about this new recording whose ten tracks include eight written or co-written by her. Backing her on this recording are Scott Holt on guitar, Bruce Katz on keyboards, Calvin Johnson on bass, and Tony Braunagel on drums.

The songs are a mix of bluesy rock and roll to soulful ballads that demonstrate her vocal and emotional range. She certainly comes off with cyclonic force on the rollicking rock of “Like Wildfire.” She might be shouting the blues here, but never gets histrionic or shrill. Katz is terrific here while Holt has a hot short guitar break.  “Dirty Blues” has another powerful vocal, although Holt’s nasty tone lends this a blues-rock flavor.  It is followed by one of the strongest songs here, “What You Never Had.” Written with Tom Hambridge, this is a relaxed shuffle with Katz smoking on the organ. The lyrics derive from a comment her late mother made about not worrying about one never had as life is about living. The vocal is as stunning as the song.  Even better is the title track, which was based on a conversation with her mother a year before she passed. Again, the lyrics stand out as does the atmospheric vocal and backing. Holt’s solo is striking set against Katz’s organ. One might easily recommend this album based on just these two tracks.

 Other tracks of note include the rendition of Gary Nicholson’s “Torn in Two,” with searing blues-rock guitar behind her vigorous singing. “Black Sheep” is a fun bluesy rock performance where Ruth celebrates being a bit of a badass. “Who I Am” is about leaving behind her previous life of partying and addiction and no longer who she was. There is a conviction in her singing that comes from her living what she is singing about.  It is another terrific track on an outstanding blues and rock recording.

I received my review copy from a publicist. Here is Hurricane Ruth in performance.

Hurricane Ruth Ain't Ready For The Grave

Hurricane Ruth
Ain't Ready For The Grave
Hurricane Ruth Records

Ruth LeMaster earned her name because of her huge voice in a small package and her publicity characterizes her as rooted in traditional blues but someone who can rock the house. This is her fourth album and was produced by Tom Hambridge who plays drums on this who with LeMaster contributed most of the 12 songs here. Others playing on this include Reese Wynans on keyboards, Michael Rhodes on bass and guitarists Pat Buchanan and Rob McNelly.

The album opens with a bluesy salute to a Friday Night at a juke, "Barrelhouse Joe's," followed by the hard rock-blues of "Hard Rockin' Woman," with a bit of shouting set against a southern rock setting. "Far From the Cradle," features atmospheric slide guitar at the opening backing her vocal before Wynans adds some piano as she notes "we are from the cradle but we ain't ready for the grave," as the rest of the band joins in for understated backing of her vocal and the Muddy Waters' influenced slide playing.

She is a good singer with solid phrasing, tone and pitch although occasionally takes things a bit to rock-ish for these ears. But on the driving "Estilene," about a woman who should leave that married man alone, or the amusing double-entendre of "Beekeeper," she delivers the lyrics with a sense of warning and humor. She stands out on the straight slow blues, "My Heart Aches For You," followed by the funky groove of "Cheating Blues," as she recalls making love and had a good thing going, rocking this man all night until she found out about him blinding her with lies.

There is a (forgettable to these ears) a hard rock cover of AC/DC's "Whole Lot of Rosie," the atmospheric "For a Change" with Ruth singing about his midnight mover and crawling king snake, but if he wants Ruth, she asks (in a most sultry manner) if he wants to be treated right for a change. A cover of Hambridge's "Let Me Be The One" (written for Susan Tedeschi)" is a fine shuffle performance with a heartfelt, relaxed vocal. The McCrary Sisters add backing vocal for the soul-rocker "Good Stuff," and the closing gospel song of praise, " Yes I Know." It ends a tightly produced, solidly performed collection of blues and rock that displays Hurricane Ruth as a powerful and expressive vocalist.

I received my review copy from a publicist. This review originally appeared in the May-June 2017 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 372). Here is a video associated with the album