When Big Brother & the Holding Company opened for Love at the Fillmore in San Francisco, Love's Arthur Lee said, in effect, after watching Janis Joplin, that "screaming ain't soulful." To these ears, I would apply this to Casey Hensley's singing. There can be no question that she brings plenty of power and passion to her performances, just like Joplin. Hensley has a tendency to comes across as overwrought for my taste, although there are songs on which she displays restraint. Tastes will differ, and undoubtedly many of you will respond much more favorably to her singing than I do.
My reservations are a shame since she certainly has a certain charisma about her, and she has a terrific supporting band led by guitarist Laura Chavez, who also produced this recording. Chavez is a guitarist who commands attention as much as Hensley may as a singer. Chavez lays down some slashing guitar on the opening "Good As Gone," with some unexpected twists and turns in the solo. Then on "You Should Be So Lucky," Chavez evokes Magic Sam but expands on the West Side Chicago blues legend's approach with her own extension of it.
There are songs such as the easy swinging, "What Do You Say," with Hensley taking a tempered approach to her vocals. Another song that stands out is "Love Will Break Your Heart," where Chavez evokes Ike Turner with some shattering fretwork. Then there is the soulful ballad, "Don't Want It to Stop," that illustrates just how good a songwriter she is. Given the first-rate songs, the excellent backing she receives, and Laura Chavez's striking guitar, it is frustrating to not be able to praise without reservations about her singing. I realize that my reservations may be in the minority.
I received my review copy from VizzTone. Here is a live performance by Casey Hensley.
Bruce Iglauer writes, in the liner notes to "Tough As Love," "I never expected to choose a female singing drummer from Halifax, Nova Scotia in easternmost Canada to be the newest member of the Alligator Records family. … Lindsay delivers blues, R&B and old school rock ‘n’ roll in a voice brimming with attitude and soulfulness. She’s described her music as “punk blues,” but that’s too narrow a term. She comes at every song with urgent intensity, soul-baring emotion, a distinct swagger and a take-no-prisoners confidence."
Beaver currently lives in Austin, Texas, after spending time in Toronto where she went to music school to hone her skills on a drum kit and where she led a band, the 24th Street Wailers. With them, she recorded five albums and while performing caught the ear of Jimmy Vaughan who encouraged her to check out the Austin scene and after a few visits, settled there in 2018, making new musical friends including her touring band of guitarist Brad Stivers and bassist Josh Williams. Musical influences include Billie Holiday, Nick Curran, The Ramones, Amy Winehouse, Sam Cooke, and Earl Palmer (her only influence on drums). She has guests on this recording that include Marcia Ball, Laura Chavez, Matt Farrell, Sax Gordon, Dennis Gruenling, and Eve Monsees.
She produced this recording, her Alligator debut and first under her name, She wrote 7 of the twelve songs and handled the vocals and drums. One is impressed with the opening tough blues "You're Evil," with Dennis Gruenling's harmonica adding to the energy of this performance and she scores a knockout with her husky, robust singing. She certainly can belt it out while Stivers blasts off on his guitar solo, if a bit frenetic. Her singing might be likened to Etta James with a rockabilly spirit, while she keeps a crisp shuffle groove throughout.
One of the highlights of this album is "Too Cold To Cry," a Louisiana blues styled number evoking Earl King's "Those Lonely Lonely Nights," with Marcia Ball on piano evoking Huey 'Piano' Smith, while Stivers channels Johnny 'Guitar' Watson. With Sax Gordon taking a blistering baritone sax solo, "What a Fool You've Been" sounds like vintage 50's West Coast rock'n'roll, while the rendition of Little Willie John's "You Hurt Me," is a terrific slow blues with Stivers channeling Ike Turner crossed with Otis Rush. Stivers shares the vocal on a tight original rock and roll performance with rollicking piano and a crisp guitar solo.
She does tone down her strong vocals on her cover of Slim Harpo's "Got Love If You Want It," which is wonderfully played. Stivers is excellent here as is Gruenling, while Beaver's crisp drumming is right on. "Oh Yeah" is another solid piece of rock and roll as she tells everybody to get wild, followed by another superb slow blues, Angela Strelhi's "Lost Cause." Another choice cover is a lesser known Art Neville song, "Let's Rock," with a fine vocal and strong backing including Matt Farrell's piano.
"Mean To Me" is another bluesy piece of rock'n'roll, crisply played with Stivers and Laura Chavez both soloing and then trading fours. It is a spirited close to an excellent recording. Lindsay Beaver is an excellent singer who brings plenty of passion to her vocals. Her original songs possess the spirit of classic rock'n'roll and blues. She is also a solid drummer who, along with Josh Williams, anchors a superb rhythm section on these wonderfully played and paced performances. Putting all this together and one has an exceptional release.
I received my review copy from Alligator. This review appeared in the January-February 2019 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 382), although I have made corrections and minor changes. Here is a video Lindsay playing "Mean To Me."
After having her second album on Ruf, Vanessa Collier's latest is a crowd-funded, self-produced CD. The Berklee graduate (with degrees in Performance and Music Production & Engineering) is a threat as a singer, songwriter (she wrote 9 of the ten songs on this) multi-instrumentalist (playing various saxophones as well as guitar on this) and arranger. She has recruited quite a group of musicians for this including Nick Stevens on drums and percussion, Nick Trautmann on bass, Sparky Parker on guitar for several tracks, William Gorman on keyboards, Laura Chavez on guitar (8 of the ten tracks), Quinn Carson on trombone (5 tracks) and Doug Woolverton on trumpet (5 tracks).
Her website notes that she "weaves funk, soul, rock, and blues into every powerful performance," and that is quite evident on the varied musical program here which includes songs ranging from the opening New Orleans flavored "Sweatin' Like A Pig, Singin' Like An Angel," as she shouts about singing in the Southland. Vocally, she impresses with her presence while Laura Chavez blasts a some hot West Coast blues guitar prior to Collier taking a funky tenor sax solo in a King Curtis vein, and then trades fours with Woolverton. It isn't simply the performance of her and the core band, but her arrangement of the horns and the production, all of which is first-rate on this party track. There is more of a party mood on "Don't Nobody Got Time To Waste," with the brassy horns riffing in support set against a jubilant gospel-rooted groove. Gorman is very greasy on the organ while her sax soars against the rest of the band.
The title track is a funky song where she sings about being held up in her relationship and another who wants her to "honey up and kiss his behind." She takes a punchy sax solo while Gorman takes a keyboard solo set against Stevens' driving drumming. "Percolatin'" is a funky instrumental that showcases her funky R&B sax playing. Bassist Trautmann is spotlighted here as well. One of the most interesting, and enjoyable songs here is "Icarus," an imaginative telling of the Greek mythological figure. She plays acoustic guitar (providing an effective sparse backing) behind her melodious singing and a strong short saxophone solo. It is a change of pace from some of the more hard-hitting songs, including "The Fault Line," with more searing guitar from Laura Chavez. There is the effective employment of resonator guitars by Collier and Parker, along with Chavez's focused fretwork on "Bless Your Heart." For variety, there is a touch of country in her vocal on the horn-driven shuffle, "You're a Pill." Again Chavez shines while Collier's booting solo helps ride this track out. "Making lemonade out of lime can get a little crazy… " opens up the New Orleans-Ray Charles flavor on "You Get What You Get."
The album closes with a nice rendition of Chris Smithers' "Love Me Like a Man," that opens as a duet with just Parker's backing before the full band joins in to add punch behind her heartfelt singing and saxophone solo. As a matter of taste, there are a couple songs that I might have preferred a slightly slower tempo or a tad lighter touch on the drums, but I am again impressed by Collier as a singer, saxophonist, songwriter, and a producer. "Honey Do" is a striking recording that will have strong appeal to many.
I received my review copy from a publicist. I have made stylistic changes to the review that originally appeared in the September-October 2018 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 380). Here she performs "Sweatin' Like A Pig, Singin' Like An Angel."
This is the third recording by the San Francisco band fronted by singers Cathy Lemons and Phil Berkowitz (who also plays harmonica), backed by the core and of Ian Lamson on guitars, Chris Burns on keyboards, Endre Tarczy on bass and Robi Bean on drums. Kid Andersen, who produced this at his Greaseland Studios with Lemons and Berkowitz, adds his guitar to several tracks while other guests include guitarist Laura Chavez, saxophonist Nancy Wright, and violinist Annie Staninec. All the songs are originals by the two, mostly in conjunction with one-time Charles Brown guitarist Danny Caron.
Blues and classic soul are infused in these eleven rocking originals which display the strong vocals and ensemble playing of the prior recordings. There is plenty of solid, danceable grooves and plenty of treats in the backing whether the vocal duet on the opening "It's Never Too Early," with sound effects and solid harmonica. Laura Chavez adds her shattering guitar break behind Lemons' vocal on "Take the Long Road." There is a nifty lyric along with deep riffing horns on "Alligator Baptism" with a fine Berkowitz vocal against an insistent groove, a striking Kid Andersen solo, more solid harmonica. It is a performance that oddly suggests Sheryl Crow to this listener, perhaps because of the casualness that the vocal is delivered.
Lemons' "The River" has a swampy feel behind a pleading vocal with Lamson on slide guitar. "Supernatural Blues" has hints of Sonny Landreth's "Congo Square," and is an original twisting rocker with more shattering Chavez guitar and a nice harmonica solo, "Make a Right Turn" has a country-cajun feel with Staninec's violin standing out along with the strong singing here with Lemon being particularly robust.
The other songs all have their own charms and hooks with "Last Ride" standing out with Andersen's carefully employed sound effects adding to the atmosphere behind Lemons' vocal while "Love is Blind" has a swampy blues feel with Andersen adding a taut solo followed by Berkowitz's crying harp. "Blind Spot" is another fine recording from The Lucky Losers with fresh material, wonderful playing and first-rate vocals.
I received my review copy from a publicist. Here are the Lucky Losers in performance.
Young saxophonist, vocalist, and songwriter is a graduate of world-renowned Berklee College and later toured with Joe Louis Walker. She recorded a self-produced album, participated at the Blues Foundation's 2016 International Blues Challenge and has been playing at festivals and clubs. Now she has signed with Ruf Records who has issued her newest release. She is backed on this by TK Jackson on drums, Daniel McKee on bass and Laura Chavez on guitar with many tracks having the legendary Charlie Hodges of the Hi Rhythm Section on keyboards. She has eight originals and three covers here as well.
Collier has an attractive voice and impresses as a vocalist over a variety of material including the opening "Poisoned the Well," one of the more notable originals, along with her ode to James Brown styled funk, "Dig a Little Deeper." She covers U2's B.B. King collaboration, "When Love Comes To Town," with a fervent vocal with Josh Roberts' slide guitar soloing while she takes the performance to a close with some robust saxophone. Her cover of the O.V. Wright deep soul classic "You Gonna Make Me Cry," is sweetened up in her treatment making it more a lament than Wright's gut-wrenching original.
"Whisky and Women" is a rocking blues shuffle about folk complaining about whisky and women while she notes she wants to live without complaining. The tempo might be a bit slower, and her vocal could have been tempered a tad, but both Laura Chavez and she are outstanding. "Meet Me Where I'm At" has a New Orleans-flavored feel with some nice interplay by her with trumpeter Marc Franklin. There is a spirited cover of Sister Rosetta Tharpe's "Up Around My Head, I Hear Music In The Air," and if her vocal lacks the weight of Tharpe, it is still enjoyable and Chavez again tosses in a crisply, spirited guitar solo followed by Collier's short solo. "Devil's on the Downside" is an impressively sung original with Charles Hodges taking us to church on organ and a standout lyric about life's temptations sung wonderfully with Collier providing a marvelous arrangement as well for the horns to frame her vocal.
There is plenty to like about Vanessa Collier on "Meeting My Shadow." She is multi-talented as a singer, songwriter, saxophonist and arranger who also co-produced this most engaging set of performances. She is certainly establishing herself on the blues (and more general music circles) and this recording will further that process.
I received my review copy from a publicist. This review appeared in the May-June 2017 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 372). Here Vanessa Collier is performing "When Love Comes To Town."
Monster Mike Welch and Mike Ledbetter Right Place, Right Time Delta Groove Music
Having been part of the Chicago Blues Festival Tribute to Otis Rush, it was natural that Mike Welch and Mike Ledbetter collaborate on a recording and the spirit of the legendary Rush is evident on this new recording by the two, from the title that evokes a legendary Rush album, to the performances by vocalist Ledbetter and guitarist Welch that both show the deep impact of Rush' soul-searing music on both.
They are backed by Welch's associate in Sugar Ray & the Blue Tones, Anthony Geraci on keyboards, Ronnie James Weber on bass and Marty Richards on drums along with appearances from Laura Chavez on guitar; and Sax Gordon and Doug James on saxophones and they play wonderfully starting with a cover of an Elmore James recording "Cry For Me Baby," with Welch echoing Eddie Taylor's original guitar part, and closing with a nice instrumental shuffle feature for Welch's Rush-influenced styling, "Brewster Avenue Bump."
The only overt Rush cover is a fine rendition of "I Can't Stop Baby," Willie Dixon's reworking of "I Can't Quit You Baby," Rush waxed for Chess. But the spirit of Rush is also present in reworking of Jimmy Robins' bluesy Northern Soul groove, "I Can't Please You"; the reworking of Junior Parker's "How Long Can This Go On," into a West Side Chicago shuffle; as well as playing the Tampa Red-Robert Nighthawk's gem "Crying Won't Help You Baby," as if Rush recorded it. This here is also a nice reworking of the Jerry Leiber-Artie Butler funk, "Down Home Girl," along with the Rush inspired originals, Welch's deep slow blues, "I'm Gonna Move To Another Country," and the Ledbetter penned medium tempoed shuffle "Can't Sit Down."
The only possible quibble that might be leveled is that Ledbetter might have slightly tempered a couple of the vocals such as the opening "Cry For Me Baby." That might be in part a result of Ledbetter's 'operatic training' which I was not aware of before reading Dick Shurman's liner notes, but one can find no other fault in his strongly projected singing. This is a minor, and a subjective, criticism of what is an excellent recording.
I received my review copy from Delta Groove. Here Monster Mike Welch and Mike Ledbetter perform Otis Rush's "Right Place, Wrong Time," at the 2016 Chicago Blues Festival.
Lara Price I Mean Business Price Productions/ Vizztone Lara Price was born in the war torn country of Vietnam in 1975. Abandoned at birth, Lara became a part of the controversial Operation Baby Lift, the mass evacuation of orphans from South Vietnam to the United States, and was one of the small number who have survived. She has been singing since a youth and in 1997 moved to the San Francisco Bay area where she has been involved in a variety of musical productions. "This"I Mean Business" is her sixth album (the first for this writer) and is an impressive and mature recording by this Bay Area singer whose career has included several genre spanning recordings. Recorded at Kid Andersen's Greaseland Studios, Price is supported by an A-List crew of musicians including Jim Pugh (Robert Cray Band), Chris Cain, and fellow VizzTone label-mates Mighty Mike Schermer (Marcia Ball) and Laura Chavez (who plays with Lara frequently when she’s not touring with Candye Kane), along with Andersen and a tight, punchy horn section and backing vocal chorus. Price also wrote, co-wrote and collected songs for this release (some of the collaborations involved Schermer and Chavez) and the overall feel is of the classic soul and blues of the sixties and seventies. This feel of classic soul and blues is fostered by her solid covers of the Candi Staton recording "Get It Where I Want It," Ann Peebles' "Slipped, Tripped, Fell In Love," both of which were penned by George Jackson. She has a touch of vibrato in her singing and her vocal dynamics helps add to the power of her singing. Also strong is a strong interpretation of Freddie King's "Pack It Up." Her originals certainly are noteworthy as well including her collaboration with Schermer, "Happy Blue Year," with some terrific guitar from him as well as keyboards from Pugh, to enhance her moving vocal on this blues lament. Chavez (who added some terrific guitar to "Pack It Up") collaborated on the deep soul original "Time," probably the best example of Price's use of dynamics in her vocal with the performance's intensity building to its explosive climax (and Chavez is stunning here as well). There are other delights including the title track with Chris Cain's sharp guitar break and a a strutting groove behind Price's fervent singing and the closing blue lament "Love Lost" with Andersen on lead guitar. Price impressed this writer throughout and sounding convincing whether singing softly or forcefully. With excellent support and Kid Andersen's solid production, Lara Price's "I Mean Business" is a striking recording.
I received a review copy from VizzTone. This review originally appeared in the January-February 2016 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 364). Here is Lara Price performing.
Candye Kane has a new album Coming Out Swingin’ on VizzTone that stands out in an already substantial catalog of music she has produced. Some have may regarded her as a novelty when she made her first recordings years ago, but she long ago established herself with her personality voice and heart. This latest album features her soul mate Laura Chavez on guitar and co-writer on most of the songs along with a terrific band that includes the rhythm section of Fred Rautmann on drums and Kennan Shaw on bass along with Leo Dombecki on organ, Sue Palmer on piano, Johnny Viau on saxophone, April West on trombone and Billy Watson on harmonica. Laura Chavez and her former husband Thomas Yearsley produced this and Yearsley adds some acoustic bass on some songs.
With drummer Rautmann doing a credible evoking of Gene Krupa’s drumming on Sing, Sing, Sing, Ms. Kane launches into the title cut, an exhilarating jump blues with terrific horn playing and slashing guitar from Ms. Chavez who is exceptional throughout this recording. The repertoire is varied allowing Ms. Kane to show herself equally able at handling a ballad (Rick Estrin’s What Love Can Do) as belting out the title track. Chavez adds a rockabilly tinge to the rocking reworking of Benny Carter’s Rock Me To Sleep, while Kane and Chavez demonstrate their ability to write witty songs I’m The Reason You Drink along with one of the most remarkable lyrics I have heard in a long time, Invisible Woman. This latter songs contrasts wealthy and celebrity women that might grace a cover of a tabloid or be on a television reality show to those who are not thin or young or rich enough to be worshipped. These are invisible woman that everybody looks through. The stark simplicity and directness of the lyrics contributes to the potency of this remarkable performance.
I have had the pleasure to see Candye Kane perform several times and always been impressed by her warmth as a person as well as the powerfulness of her music which has grown with her experience as a performer. This is heard in Coming Out Swingin’, which is an extraordinary recording by a remarkable singer and performer.
I received this from the VizzTone. Here is a clip of the terrific Candye Kane and Band.
While it has been out for several months, I have been pleased to turn my attention to Candye Kane’s most recent release on Delta Groove, Sister Vagabond. Courageous as she is a brassy and vibrant blues and roots performer, this latest entry in her discography will certainly be welcomed by many. It is the first extended opportunity for this listener to hear her guitarist Laura Chavez who also collaborates on the originals here. A variety of first rank players such as drummer Paul Fasulo, saxophonist Johnny Viau and pianist Sue Palmer guest on selected tracks adding to the sound here.
Chavez sets the tone on the remake of Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson’s I Love To Love You, that opens this recording with her slash and burn playing that is modeled on Watson’s originals. Elsewhere her superior guitar playing shows a familiarity with Ike Turner and other significant blues guitar legends in developing a strong personal style. There is plenty of humor and wit as displayed in the original Love Insurance with Viau’s riffing horns set the mood for Kane’s lyric of needing coverage for heartaches but her heart has been broken too many times. She sings with fervor and there are strong guitar and sax breaks.
There is plenty of grit in an interpretation of Sweet Nothin’s, a hit for Brenda Lee that is is performed with plenty of grit and grease by Kane with Chavez adding plenty of atmosphere with her trebly tone and a slashing solo. The ability of Kane and Chavez to match lyrics with music is shown on Walkin’, Talkin’ Haunted House, where Chavez’s guitar recalls Ike Turner and his use of the whammy bar behind Kane’s anguished vocal as she recalls past loves and she can’t lend go of these memories. Stephen Hodges adding some percussive effects in addition to playing drums on this powerful performance.
You Never Cross My Mind is a country flavored shuffle about an ex-lover with spirited piano from Sue Palmer. Everybody’s Gonna Love Somebody Tonight from Jack Tempchin and Glenn Frey is a straight-ahead rocker with James harmonica adding harmonica here and Chavez further displaying her strong blues guitar playing that is free of any blues-rock cliches. You Can’t Take It Back From Here, was originally an angry song that was turned into a song about restoring our planet with Chavez again channelling Ike Turner on her trebly playing behind the passionate Kane vocal
The other pleasures here include You Can’t Hurt Me Anymore, a declaration against a former lover with another terrific guitar solo; Hard Knock Gal, about the ladies of today that can steal one’s heart away with a smile and not take crap from anyone; the zydeco flavored Have a Nice Day; and the spirited “I Deserve Love, with a skiffle-blues flavor including nice harmonica from Billy Watson.
Sister Vagabond is another strong addition to Candye Kane’s rather substantial discography.
I receive a review copy from Delta Groove. Here is a video of Candye and Laura at the Blues Blast Awards.
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