Lisa Biales The Beauty of My Heart

Lisa Biales
The Beauty of My Heart
Big Song Music

A new album from the singer, Lisa Biales, brings together some terrific covers and backing from members of The Phantom Blues Band, drummer Tony Braunagel (who produced this); guitarist Johnny Lee Schell (who engineered this); bassist Larry Fulcher; trumpeter Darrell Leonard and saxophonist Joe Sublett; along with keyboardist Jim Pugh; bassist Larry Taylor; bassist Chuck Berghofer (member of The Wrecking Crew); trumpeter Lee Thornberg; and others. The result is a very appealing recording.

The performances here include the jump blues revival of Mabel Scott's "Disgusted" with a terrific Joe Sublett tenor sax solo; a solid New Orleans funk reworking of Allen Toussaint's "I Don't Wanna Hear It" originally waxed by Betty Harris; a smoldering cover of Nina Simone's "Be My Husband"; a jazzy rendition of Lil Green's "Romance in the Dark" with the legendary Chuck Berghofer on acoustic bass; a moving rendition of Eric Bibb's "Don't Let Nobody Drag Your Spirit Down" with brief solos by Jim Pugh and Johnny Lee Schell adding to its smokey atmosphere; and a spirited gospel performance of Alex Bradford's "Said I Wasn't Gonna Tell Nobody." She may have quite the voice of an Aretha but she puts everything in her delivery of this latter song's simple message affirming one's faith.

This is just an overview of some of the very enjoyable performances on this. One song of special note is "Crying Over You." This song has special significance for Biales, as it recorded in 1947 by her mother Alberta Rogers who also wrote it. The performance opens with the first verse of her mother's recording before Biales completes the performance as she sings yearning for her phone to ring as she is crying for her love. Chuck Berghofer is on double bass and Lee Thornberg plays a delightful trumpet solo behind Biales' charming vocal.

Lisa Biales has proven to be a real fine interpreter of blues and roots with her honeyed voice and natural, unforced delivery. She enchants here and, with superb backing, has produced another gem.

I received my review copy from a publicist. This review originally appeared in the March-April 2017 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 371). Here is Lisa performing "Romance in the Dark."

Lisa Biales Singing Her Soul

Lisa Biales has a new recording out on Big Song Music, Singing My Soul. The Ohio based singer, songwriter and guitarist is backed Cincinnati-based pianist Ricky Nye (who also produced the album) and the Paris Blues Band who includes Thibaut Chopin on upright bass, Anthony Stelmaszack on guitar and Simon “Shuffle” Boyer on drums.

This is a change in pace for her as nine of the ten songs on this are interpretations of vintage material in contrast to her originals. Biales interprets songs associated with Blu Lu Barker, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Sippie Wallace and others. Opening is her straight cover of Barker’s peppy A Little Bird Told Me, followed by her rendition of Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s Strange Things Happening Every Day, likely the most familiar song here.

Biales roots includes country as well as blues as indicated by the lovely bluegrass-infused rendition of Mississippi John Hurt’s Let the Mermaid’s Flirt With Me, with fiddle and mandolin in the backing. Hey country-based singing also lends a nice flavor to Sippie Wallace’s bawdy You Got To Know How. Magic Garden is the only original here and her honey-sounding performance benefits from Doug Hamilton’s violin and Bill Littleford’s guitar. A lovely reading of Careless Love is followed by an evocative I Only Have Eyes For You (modeled on The Flamingo’s hit) with Nye and Stelmaszack playing tastefully behind her. Biales has played Patsy Cline onstage and Write Me In Care of the Blues, was a song she uncovered researching the part, and she certainly does wonderfully on this traditional country gem. The recording closes with the title track, another Sister Rosetta Tharpe composition, that Lisa and the band provide a crisp reading.

Lisa Biales is an appealing singer who brings a mix of roots influences to Singing My Soul, a delightful, if not earthshaking recording of old school country, swing and blues.

I received my review copy from a publicist.  Here is a video of Lisa performing Magic Garden.

Lisa Biales' Just Like Honey

Ohio native Lisa Biales is a singer, guitarist and songwriter who blends blues, country, folk, traditional jazz and other roots music. She has recently released Just Like Honey on Big Song Music, a disc produced by EG Kight and Paul Hornsby which presents a number of original songs, classic books and other songs that cross genres. 

The title is not only one of the songs here but also a fair description of her genuine, sweet and tangy vocals. Things start off with a nice reworking of a lesser known Memphis Minnie number, Call the Fire Wagon, which includes some jazzy clarinet and old time fiddle. More of a blues-infused rock is heard on the title track with some strong electric guitar. E.G. Kight’s Sugar is a blues-inflected number with a definite country feel provided by the crisp dobro playing and the fine harmonica. Then there is a rollicking rendition of Candye Kane’s Gifted in the Ways of Love, with Paul Hornsby’s piano standing out although the electric guitar gets a bit over the top. Kight’s ballad When You Were Mine, is a lovely performance with some excellent piano under her vocal. 

A classic Ma Rainey recording, Yonder Comes the Blues, has unusual instrumentation with slide guitar, harmonica and tuba behind her fine singing here. A nice mambo groove marks her collaboration with Kight, Gypsy Woman Blues, with Tommy Talton playing a nice slide guitar solo followed by a cover of Damn Your Eyes, that was part of Etta James’ repertoire. Come To Me is a lovely Biales original performed acoustically and followed by Peaches where she deftly incorporates lines from 1920s recordings by Trixie Smith and William Harris on a delightful country-flavored blues. 

Other songs here include a rocking Bonnie Raitt cover and a delightful duet with Kight on the Delmore Brothers old-time country classic, Blues Stay Away From Me. Tommy Tallon’s Watch Out Baby Don’t Cry is a hot country rocker while Biales’ contributes a soulful vocal on Kight’s Through the Eyes of a Child. Its a marvelous performance of a wonderful song with some marvelous harmonica from Pat Bergeson that concludes this very ingratiating album of blues and roots on a high note. 

I received my review copy from a  publicist. Here Lisa and E.G. Kight perform "Angel From Montgomery."