The album opens with "Ain't So Blind," an original composition by Robert Allen Parker and Candice Ivory. It begins with a steady pounding of the drums, and then kicks in with that familiar blues sound, and with a glorious power. Here she confronts a certain someone: "You think I don't know you're lying/You know I ain't so blind." There is a smooth aspect to her vocal delivery that shows she is in control. She doesn't need to shout here. She knows what's what and doesn't have a damn thing to prove. Jan Hartmann delivers some strong work on harmonica. That's followed by "Blue Blood," which has a cool vibe, a snappy rhythm, and features some delicious work on harmonica. It's a fun song, especially considering her band is called The Blue Bloods. "You forgot that you were royal." This song was written by Candice Ivory, and was originally released in 2022.
Candice Ivory delivers a really good rendition of "I'm In Trouble," a song written by Joe Hicks and originally recorded by The Fieldstones. While it is a cover, there is still a personal connection, for The Fieldstones' guitarist Will Roy Sanders was Candice's great-uncle. In addition to more great stuff by Jan Hartmann on harmonica, this one features some really good work by Ben Levin on piano. And when Candice sings about being in trouble, there is enough attitude and grit in her voice that we feel she can cause more trouble than she might find herself in. "Brothers, they got the world in a bad shape/And ain't nothing we can do/I went out and looked for a job/He said we ain't got nothing for you to do/I'm in trouble." Hey, we're all in trouble these days, aren't we? Then a seriously cool vibe is established at the start of "Foolish Pleasure," a raw, mean thing happening. Yubu Kazungu joins Candice Ivory on vocals on this one. "Give me foolish pleasure/I'll play the fool for you." This one moves at a slower pace and gets its hooks into you fairly quickly. That harmonica work is certainly a part of its appeal, but it is the vocal work that is captivating. It was written by Robert Allen Parker.
The energy and the pace increase on "Lookin' For My Baby," which was also written by Robert Allen Parker. There is something playful here, which you can hear in a line like this: "He ain't at Johnny's house, ain't at Eddy's house, ain't at Mary's house, just ain't been around." We can just imagine this frantic woman going to all these houses looking for this guy. Seems a bit crazy, right? Meanwhile, the drumming tells us everything is fine, tells us to dance. Ben Levin delivers some wonderful stuff on keys. And there is a section where the two guitars engage in some back-and-forth business, and it's great. This track also features some excellent work on bass. Basically, everything is working. That's followed by "Strong Black Mattie," a song written by Candice Ivory. I love this vocal performance, how she dips into her lower registers on a word like "clothes" and then lifts her voice on other lines, and then delivers a few lines toward the end as spoken word. Chris Stephenson delivers some nice work on organ, but it might be the guitar work that shines the brightest here. This is a song that Candice Ivory released as a single in 2023.
"Let Your Love Shine On" has a smooth aspect that is quite appealing, and it's there right from the beginning with those vocals, "Thank you for letting your love shine on." This song feels like a nighttime number. There is something sexy in its attitude, in its presentation, and something very cool. "When the sun sets/And I'm feeling a lack of trust/You lay the law down/And you light me up." There is also a nice lead on guitar in the second half. This song was written by Robert Allen Parker. "Look Away" also has a late-night feel to it. "I've got my eyes on you, baby/But I've got to look away for a while/One day you're so good to me/Then you turn around and treat me like a child." There is power and passion to her vocal performance, and a whole lot of soul. Chris Stephenson delivers me wonderful stuff on organ, and there is another strong guitar lead. That's followed by "Tradition," a short track of spoken word by Andrew Cohen, basically defining the word "tradition," with some guitar work. This works as a transition from the full-band tracks to the looser vibe of the rest of the album's songs. It's fine, but feels unnecessary.
Candice Ivery then gives us a really good cover of "Catfish Blues," featuring special guest Jimmy "Duck" Holmes on vocals and guitar. This is a song that Jimmy "Duck" Holmes included on his 2019 album Cypress Grove. Interestingly, Jimmy "Duck" Holmes joined Ryan Lee Crosby on his At The Blue Front album, which was released just a few weeks ago, and the two of them also tackled this number. This rendition also features some excellent stuff by Ben Levin on piano and by Damion "Yella P" Pearson on harmonica. That's followed by another cover, this one of "Corrina" written by Clyde Maxwell. This track also has a great, raw vibe, Candice's vocals supported by just David Evans on guitar and Ben Levin on piano. Then we get the album's final original composition, "Crown Royal Bag Blues," written by Candice Ivory, who is again backed by just guitar and piano, though this time by both Damion Pearson and Takuto Asano on guitar. There is a natural, sort of improvised feel to this music, which I love. This track is another highlight of the disc.
Candice Ivory wraps up the album with two Memphis Minnie numbers. The first is "World Of Trouble," which features a delicious lead by Ben Levin on piano. That instrumental section with piano and guitar is wonderful. But it is Candice's passionate vocal delivery that drives this rendition and makes it something special. "It's a cold, cold morning/I was out in the rain and snow/Yes, in a world of trouble/I couldn't find no place to go." The second is "Shout The Boogie," a fun number where Candice's vocals are supported most prominently by Ben Levin on piano. Both David Evans and Andy Cohen are on guitar on this one. Oh yes, Candice Ivory is cutting loose here. We all need to do this, don't we? Particularly these days that seemed governed by the blues. Well, this track will help.
CD Track List
- Ain't So Blind
- Blue Blood
- I'm In Trouble
- Foolish Pleasure
- Lookin' For My Baby
- Strong Black Mattie
- Let Your Love Shine On
- Look Away
- Tradition
- Catfish Blues
- Corrina
- Crown Royal Bag Blues
- World Of Trouble
- Shout The Boogie
No comments:
Post a Comment