Heather Newman Rise From the Flames

Heather Newman
Rise From the Flames
VizzTone

"Rise From the Flames" is the second album from bassist-vocalist Heather Newman. About her earlier album, "Burn Me Alive," I concluded, "With the strong, empathic support by her band throughout, Heather Newman impresses with her wholehearted, passionate vocals on a most noteworthy recording debut." Here she is with her Kansas City band of Ryan Matthew (vocals/keys/percussion), Keith Ladd (lead guitar), and Adam Watson (drums), with guest appearances by Michael Lefever (saxophone) and Teddy Krulewich (trumpet). She wrote all 13 songs inspired by the end of a relationship and her dealing with consequences of this.

Since I first heard Heather on a Nick Schnebelen Band recording. I found her singing was striking as I praised her phrasing and pitch as spot on. Also, I found her delivery and her vocal dynamics impressive, especially with the judicious use of a lioness growl. There is nothing on this recording that would cause me to change that. She handles the ups and downs of relationships on these well-crafted songs. She might question her former lover's choice of a new lover on "She Sure Looks a Lot Like Me," while on the title track where she talks about coping and that she will rise from the flames of a broken relationship. Ladd's guitar impresses on the title track, "Water and Wine," "Coming Home," and other selections. "Lonely on Beale" has a funky groove as she sings about being left lonely with the horns honking in the accompaniment, while she pours everything into "His Soul," against the insistent accompaniment and Matthew's deft electric piano solo. Understated accompaniment with acoustic guitar enhances Newman's wistful singing on "Take It Slow." In contrast, "Coming Home" has a funkier feel and punchy horns.

Her supporting band impresses throughout these well-paced performances that never come off as frenzied or rushed. The band provides supple backing, and the focused solos and the production allows the listeners to savor her soulful, nuanced vocals and the splendid support provided her." "Rise From the Flames" is another marvelous Heather Newman recording.

I received my review copy from VizzTone.  This review appeared in the September-October 2019 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 386), although I made minor stylistic changes. Here is Heather Newman at a recent performance.

 

Paula Harris Speakeasy

Paula Harris
Speakeasy
Self-produced

Born in South Carolina but now based in the San Francisco Bay area, vocalist Paula Harris has impressed folks in the Blues Scene. Her band finished in the top 3 in the 2012 International Blues Challenge and recordings have furthered her stature with praises from Dan Ackroyd, the late Lou Rawls and Stax legend William Bell.

Her new recording takes her into more of jazz setting as she explores the nexus of blues and jazz backed by an acoustic piano trio. The backing musicians include pianist Nate Ginsburg, bassist Richard Girard, and drummer Derrick 'D'Mar' Martin, with guest appearances from trumpeter Bill Ortiz, a poetic rap from Big Llou Johnson, and Christoffer 'Kid' Andersen on bongos on one song and waterpipe on another. "Speakeasy" was recorded at Andersen's Greaseland Studios, and he mixed the recording.

10 of the 16 songs on my CD are originals with Harris' lyrics and music from her and Ginsburg, two are from Bay area friends, and the others are interpretations of standards. Scott Yanow has suggested in the liner notes that Paula Harris has created a jazz-blues fusion, bridging "the gap between blues and jazz, while not neglecting soul and R&B." I have other singers around Washington DC (where I live) do the same, although they are often viewed as jazz singers. This is not to diminish the talent or what Paula Harris has accomplished here. She is a terrific vocalist. She sings expressively with power, but subtle and nuanced and one can appreciate the what the late Lou Rawls meant when he said she was "A thin vanilla coating on a dark chocolate soul."

And she brings her vocal talents to some stunning originals like the cautionary "Nothing Good Happens After Midnight," and the evocative ballad "Haunted." The there is spice and exuberance of "Soul Sucking Man," well she sings about resisting the temptation and charms of this gentleman, and her sober, elegiac rendition of "Good Morning Heartache" a marvelous interpretation of a song associated with Billie Holiday. "A Mind of Her Own" is a superb straight blues while trumpeter Ortiz creates a haunting mood to the sensual "Something Wicked" with interplay with her interaction with Big Llou Johnson's poetic rap. Ortiz's muted trumpet adds to the late-night feel of the Thelonious Monk jazz standard "Round Midnight" to which she has provided original lyrics and delivers a superb, longing vocal. Her splendid rendition fo Al Kooper's "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know" is based on Donny Hathaway's interpretation. After the minor-toned blues about a cheating lover, "Who Put Those Scratches On Your Back," the CD closes with a playful take on Louis Jordan's "Is You Or Is You Ain't My Baby."

The contributions of her backing piano trio should not be overlooked. Pianist Ginsburg especially impressed with his deft accompaniments and lively, imaginative solos while the rhythm duo of Girard and Martin provide a light, yet firm foundation for Paula Harris' expressive, subtle singing. With this backing and the excellent material, "Speakeasy" is a superb recording.

I received my review copy from a publicist. Here is a video of her performing "Nothing Good Happens After Midnight."

Lauren Mitchell Desire

Lauren Mitchell
Desire
Self-Produced

Florida based singer Lauren Mitchell went out to the West Coast to record this new release of hers where she got Tony Braunagel to produce this and drum on it. Some of Tony's associates with the Phantom Blues Band are here as well including Johnny Lee Schell on guitar, Joe Sublett on saxophone, and Darrell Leonard on their trumpet along with Reggie McBride on bass, Jim Pugh on keyboards and Lennie Castro on percussion.

The recording has a mix of choice covers and idiomatic originals that showcase her very strong singing, starting with a tough rendition of an Etta James deep soul recording, "(I Don't Need Nobody To Tell Me) How To Treat My Man." She has a husky voice like James which she employs in a nuanced fashion. She can belt out a song with authority and without screaming or sounding shrill. It is followed by the sweet soul groove of her original "Soul Music" with its beach music groove as she sings about no other man can satisfy her and hear that soul music like her daddy used to play. The joy in her vocal is supported by the excellent backing and punching horns. The title track has a swampy soul feel followed by her strong, sultry take of another song associated with Etta James, "Jump Into My Fire."

With Schell's bluesy guitar and Pugh's piano, she ably tackles an Aretha soul-blues, "Good To Me As I Am To You," as well as an early Bettye Lavette recording "Stand Up Like a Man." Contrasting her tough vocals on those tunes, she displays a tender side on the ballad "Today." There is plenty of sass in her revival of Diana Ross' "I Ain't Been (Licked Yet)," followed by the sensuous reworking Betty Davis' "Anti-Love Song," with backing adapted from Davis' original. A jaunty gospel performance, "Bridge of Dreams," is followed by an original lament, "Lead Me On," that sounds like it might have come out of Muscle Shoals decades ago.

The album closes with "Brown Liquor," with a funky groove and a tough lyric about waking up in Vegas with a hangover and a man in her bed as she does not remember anything after that Maker's Mark. Her forceful, vocal is backed by the terrific studio band closing this very impressive CD of soul with a blues touch.

I received my review copy from a publicist. This review originally appeared in the March-April Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 371), although a few typos in the published review have been corrected. Here she is seen performing "Soul Music" from this CD.

LaVerne Johnson Shady Lady

LaVerne Johnson
Shady Lady
Blue Moon


Twin City based Blue Moon continues issuing interesting blues from Minneapolis-St. Paul. A new release by LaVerne “Lady Blue” Johnson, Shady Lady, is a debut by a former Ikette. It is comprised mostly of her originals, although several songs allude to other, familiar, songs. Examples include Winds Beneath My Wings (a blues with the title taken from the song for which Bette Midler won a Grammy) and Your Man and Mine (which reminds one of You Can Have My Husband But Please Don’t Mess With My Man).

Lady Blues’ strength is as a singer, and she has a winning way of phrasing a lyric. My only criticism is the backing is too generic. It may be the engineering, and while drummer Bron Westland sets a groove, he comes off stiff and heavy. Bill Connor’s honking sax is one-dimensional and he sounds like he plays in overly loud bands. While Jay Doughty’s guitar is solid, Ivan Wallace’s solo on Your Man and Mine is too busy.

My criticisms should be taken in context. Lady Blue is a real talent and the backing is never less than workmanlike, but she would be better suited to a jazzier backing. Still this is an impressive, if imperfect, debut, and available from Blue Moon Records, PO Box 581364, Minneapolis MN 55458 if unavailable elsewhere.

This review originally appeared in the October 1994 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 195). I likely received a review copy of the CD from Blue Moon which may now be known as Cold Wind Records. Amazon sells this as a CD-R as well as a download and it is available as a download also on itunes.

Lisa Mills Says I'm Changing

Gulf Coast chanteuse Lisa Mills refers to herself as "a blue-eyed-soul singer armed with a guitar" who speaking about her music says "If anything, I would refer to what I do as American Southern roots music.” Her new release "I'm Changing" (MillsBluz Records) is mostly a re-constructed version of tracks Lisa originally recorded and released in 2005. For this updated release she employed groundbreaking producer Trina Shoemaker, the first woman to win the Grammy Award for album engineering. Her backing musicians include guitarist Rick Hirsch and drummer T. K. Lively of Wet Willie fame; guitarist Corky Hughes and bassist Ian Jennings. Lisa notes “There are two fully re-recorded tracks on the album, ‘Take My Troubles" and "Tell Me," and three new [original] songs." While she thought she would have to redo vocals on other songs, Trina Shoemaker's mixing resolved many issues so only two songs needed to be totally redone.

The opening track "Better Than This/ I Don't Need You Anymore" grabbed the attention of this listener. With Hirsch's uncluttered guitar lead and a backing that evokes classic Muscle Shoals, Mills vocals ring true. This song with lyrics of leaving a cheating man is followed by another strong performance, "I Don't Want to Be Happy" ("I just want to be with you"). Again kudos to the backing whose direct, uncluttered backing lets the full warmth of her singing to be felt and appreciated. 

"I Need a Little Sunshine," co-written with bassist Jennings, is another display of her soulful vocals, while the title track has a country-folk flavor with Pat Murphy's fiddle being prominent. The pace changes with "Eyes So Blue" an expression of love set to a joyful reggae groove. This may not be the musical highpoint, but it may be this writer's favorite selection. There are a couple gospel numbers including an a cappella rendition of her original "Tell Me,” and Rev. Robert Wilkins' "Wish I Was in Heaven Sitting Down," with Corky Hughes on resonator guitar. "Rain in the Summertime" is a folk-flavored performance where she is backed only by her own acoustic guitar.

"I'm Changing" closes with a marvelous interpretation of Jimi Hendrix's "Little Wing." Lisa Mills is an extraordinary singer and also songwriter and with the backing provided and the production supplied by Trina Shoemaker, she has provided a superb recording that should appeal to a wide range of listeners.

I received my review copy from a publicist. This CD has been out a few months and I apologize for not reviewing it earlier. I remember enjoying it when I first head it and when listening to it a couple days ago I knew I had to write about it. Here she is seen performing "I'm Changing."

Melissa Errico's Legrand Affair

Michel Legrand is one of the grand composers for stage and film of our times and in 2005, he and Broadway actress Melissa Errico spent time together. They then travelled to Belgium, where with a full orchestra conducted and arranged by Legrand they recorded a number of Legrand’s songs. While some touches were added later, it took until now for the recordings to be released under Errico’s name, Legrand Affair: The Songs of Michel Legrand (Ghostlight Records).

I was not familiar with Melissa Errico until this recording. Married to tennis star Patrick McEnroe, she has such a beautiful voice and her precise diction and delivery likely illustrates why she has become a star of many musical productions. She has starred in seven Broadway productions and had two prior albums. Prior to this recording, I also did not realize the depth of Legrand’s legacy as a composer. The songs include The Summer Knows, and The Windmill of Your Mind. The other songs may not have been as familiar, but equally displayed melodies that linger in a listener's head. The couple, Alan and Marilyn Bergman, contributed the lyrics to 10 of the 15 selections on this album.

Enrico singing creates a sense of intimacy even with the full orchestration on these lovely songs. Legrand sings a scatted, wordless vocal to a duet between him and Errico on the Legrand-Johnny Mercer ballad, Once Upon a Summertime. The closing selection, Celui-La is the only non-orchestral performance. Here, her vocal in French is accompanied by Legrand’s piano. These are consistently beautiful performances. Errico has such a beautiful voice and the lush arrangements accentuate this and the romanticism of the lyrics of all the marvelous songs here. Legrand Affair makes for easy, but grand, listening.

My review copy was provided by a publicist. Here she talks about Legrand Affair.