Laurie Jane & The 45s: “Late Last Night – Elixir Of Sara Martin” (2018) CD Review

If you are suffering from anxiety during these frightening and infuriating times and are looking for music to make you feel like part of the human race again, one album you ought to give a listen to is Late Last Night – Elixir Of Sara Martin, the 2018 release from Laurie Jane & The 45s. The music is blues, but a fun brand of blues that features some wonderful female lead vocals. This album follows their 2017 release, Midnight Jubilee, and finds them paying tribute to Sara Martin, a tremendous voice in blues, born in Louisville, the same city that Laurie Jane & The 45s call home. Several of the tracks on this disc were written or co-written by Sara Martin, who put out a lot of great records in the 1920s.

The album opens with a grooving rendition of “Late Last Night,” the title track, a song written by Sara Martin. This version is driven by the guitar, and features some nice work on saxophone, the music having a modern feel. “Late last night when I took morphine/I took it to ease my pain/If it had not have been for the doctor, oh lord/I’d been in my grave today.” That’s followed by a seriously fun version of “Achin’ Hearted Blues,” a song written by Clarence Williams, Spencer Williams and Clarence Johnson, and recorded by Sara Martin in 1923. Laurie Jane Duggins gives a strong and totally enjoyable vocal performance. Yet, as good as that vocal performance is, it is nothing compared to what Laurie Jane gives us next on “Blind Man Blues.”  This is such a delicious track, in large part because of her fantastic vocal performance. Wow, she completely inhabits and owns this song. Plus, there is some gloriously expressive work from the horn, and it’s like a duet between Laurie Jane and the horn. And if that’s not enough for you, there is also some good work on both piano and guitar. This is my favorite track on the album.

On “Strange Lovin’ Blues,” they give the track a scratchy effect to make it sound like an old recording, like Sara Martin’s original recording from the mid-1920s. But that is so unnecessary. This band has captured the vibe and excitement and sound of the earlier times without needing to resort to this rather obvious device. Anyway, they deliver a nice raw rendition of this song, which was written by Sara Martin. That scratchy old record sound effect is used again on “Pleading Blues.” I understand the appeal and the desire to use it, but again it’s just unnecessary. Plus, I thought the idea was to bring this music to the present, to deliver it as a living thing, like it is happening right now. The effect is also used on “Atlanta Blues,” and here it seems even more dominant, making Laurie Jane’s vocals fight it for our attention. At the end, there is even the sound of the needle being lifted from the record, which is silly.

Things get popping and rocking with Laurie Jane & The 45s’ version of “Sugar Blues.” “Have you heard these blues?” she asks, and the saxophone answers for us. And when she sings that these are the sweetest blues we’ve ever heard, ain’t nobody gonna argue with her. This is a lot of fun. It’s followed by “My Man Blues.” This track has a cool, sly style and vibe, along the lines of what Sara Martin did on her original rendition. I love it, even though it contains the dreaded “self”/”shelf” rhyme. And I love that instrumental section halfway through, with some nice work on both guitar and piano. “Can’t Find Nobody To Do Like My Daddy Do” is another fun track, with a delicious rhythm. I love the drums and bass here. “Oh, how it hurts when he says goodbye,” Laurie Jane sings, and yet she has a delightful energy and joy about her. And isn’t that a great thing about the blues? You can sing of heartache, of troubles, and feel so goddamn good doing it. This track rocks and moves, one to get you on your feet, or at least dancing in your chair. The band’s rendition of “I’m Gonna Be A Lovin’ Old Soul” is a rocking blues number, another fun track featuring some good work on piano. “If you don’t like my peaches, let my peach tree be/And if you don’t like my loving, honey, stay away from me.” The album then concludes with “‘Tain’t Nobody’s Bu’ness If I Do,” which has that scratchy record effect, but fortunately only for the first few moments. After that, we are right there with the music. This rendition is a total delight. It is fun and playful, and by the end it is like a celebration. A celebration of music, of life, of freedom. I love the horns. This track fades out, giving us the impression that the celebration continues.

CD Track List

1. Late Last Night
2. Achin’ Hearted Blues
3. Blind Man Blues
4. Strange Lovin’ Blues
5. Sugar Blues
6. My Man Blues
7. Joe Turner Blues
8. Can’t Find Nobody To Do Like My Daddy Do
9. Pleading Blues
10. Atlanta Blues
11. I’m Gonna Be A Lovin’ Old Soul
12. ‘Tain’t Nobody’s Bus’ness If I Do

Late Last Night – Elixir Of Sara Martin was released on October 13, 2018.