Thornetta Davis Honest Woman

Thornetta Davis
Honest Woman
Sweet Mama Music

The opening track to Thornetta Davis' "Honest Woman" is a recitation from her sister on how her sister makes her feel "When My Sister Sings the Blues." Listening to "I Gotta Sing the Blues," one easily appreciates why this powerhouse vocalist is Detroit's Queen of the Blues. It certainly does not hurt that she has a fine band that includes on many tracks guitarist Brett Lucas, bassist James Simonson, keyboardist Philip J. Hale and drummer Todd Glass or that Kim Wilson adds harmonica who also shares the vocal.

Then she rocks things a bit as she tells her man that the things he does to make up for his cheating ways, as she tells him "That Don't Appease Me," as she sings that his sorry does not work and get on out of here. The music on this incorporates a riff from "You Don't Love Me," that complements her sassy, take no nonsense vocal.

Guitarist Larry McCray, brother Steve on drums and Kerry Clark along with the keyboards of Chris Codfish back her soulful singing on the gospel blues "Set Me Free," which is followed by a strong soulful ballad "Am I Just A Shadow." After the rollicking New Orleans groove of "I Need A Whole Lotta Lovin' (To Satisfy Me)," she takes her down in the alley with a superb slow blues "I'd Rather Be Alone," with a vocal that builds in intensity until it explodes.

Other tracks include uptempo rocker about recovering after her lying ex, "I Believe (Everything Gonna Be Alright)," while on "Get Up And Dance Away Your Blues" she shouts with joy for the listener to get up on this jump blues swinger. Then there is another terrific slow blues "Can We Do It Again," with the backing (including the marvelous horn arrangement) evokes some of the classic blues-funk of Johnny 'Guitar' Watson from the seventies. Like "I'd Rather Be Alone," this track stands out among a very impressive recording with a choice Lucas guitar solo in addition to Davis' compelling vocal.

The title track is a wonderful soul number followed by another rocking gospel blues "Feels Like Religion," that closes this recording. It is an impressive recording with Thornetta Davis' impressive singing and  fine backing and production.

I received my review copy from a publicist. This review appeared in the March-April 2017 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 371). Here is Thornetta in performance.

Johnnie Bassett Can Make It Happen

A couple years after his acclaimed The Gentleman Is Back, recording, that gentleman of the Detroit Blues, Johnnie Bassett, is back with a new release on Sly Dog Records, I Can Make That Happen. This new release on the Mack Avenue subsidiary label brings the veteran singer and guitarist produced by keyboardist Chris Codish and saxophonist Keith Kaminski, both of whom have long tenures playing with Bassett. The program of eleven songs display Bassett's genial vocal style and jazz-inflected guitar that evokes some of B.B. King's recordings from the mid-1960's. I am particularly thinking of the live Blues Is King album although Bassett is a little bit lighter in his attack. In any event, the performances here are rendered with a relaxed soulfulness and a definite panache starting from the opening moments of his salute to his home city Proud To Be From Detroit, to the closing moments of Let's Get Hammered.

Proud To Be From Detroit is a mix of travelogue (going from Greek Town to Belle Isles), a salute to the city's sports teams, ladies, music and other matters ("if you come to visit, you may never leave") set to a nice funky groove (James Simonson's bass merits note) with Bassett taking a fleet, skittering solo. Its followed by some risqué blues including Bob Codish’s Love Lessons, where Johnnie will take this lady to school, taking care of her in home room and helping her with her homework. Spike Boy has strong guitar in addition to intriguing railroad imagery, as Johnny boasts of being a natural born driving and is better than any machine. Horns help frame the performance. The title track, by Chris Codish and Nashville songwriter Jim ‘Moose’ Brown, has a nice groove as Johnnie tells this lady that if she wants to get out of her rut, come to him and he can make it happen, and if she needs some satisfaction, well Johnnie can make it happen.

A fairly straight cover of Solomon Burke’s Cry For Me follows and is a pleasant performance, although Johnnie’s vocal does not carry the weight that Burke does. My own favorite rendition of this song is the deep southern soul reading that Bobby Powell gave it. Bob Codish’s Teach Me To Love, is a classic R&B ballad with Detroit blues diva Thornetta Davis sharing the vocals and Keith Kaminski taking a booting tenor sax solo. Kaminski contributed the swinging instrumental Dawging Around, which is a tribute to the late Scott “E. Dawg” Petersen, who was a member of Bassett’s Blues Insurgents. This finds the leader in more of jazzy guitar vein, Kaminski is clean and solid and Codfish gets gritty on the organ. More funk follows on Cha’mon as Bassett urges everyone to get grooving while on Motor City Blues he sings about some of the harder times in Detroit while expressing an optimism that the Motor City will be coming back. The closing Lets Get Hammered is an ebullient shuffle with Codfish rocking the 88s where Johnny says to bring him some alcohol.

Included on my advance copy is a nice understated cover of Jimi Hendrix’s The Wind Cries Mary, but which has been replaced on the issued CD by a cover of Reconsider Baby, apparently at the request of the Hendrix estate. I cannot comment on that latter performance, but even if were a lesser performance this would not change the opinion that this is another well produced and enjoyable recording. Johnnie Bassett is still making it happen with his soulful and sophisticated blues.

A publicist provided me with a review copy. Here is Johnnie doing a selection from his prior album.