Sass Jordan: “Rebel Moon Blues” (2020) CD Review

Sass Jordan is a powerful vocalist working largely in the rock realm, but with a bluesy edge, and on her new album, Rebel Moon Blues, she gets seriously into the blues, offering an album of mostly covers, including material by Willie Dixon and Elmore James. Her backing band, called The Champagne Hookers, is made up of Chris Caddell on guitar, slide guitar, dobro and backing vocals; Jimmy Reid on guitar and backing vocals; Derrick Brady on bass and backing vocals; and Cassius Pereira on drums and backing vocals. Joining them on this release are Steve Marriner on harmonica and backing vocals, Jesse O’Brien on keys, and Hill Kourkoutis on backing vocals.

The album begins with the sound of someone coughing, which these days is cause for panic. “Sorry, guys,” the person says. Okay. Anyway, that certainly got my attention. And soon the music is grooving, that harmonica is blaring, and Sass Jordan’s raw vocals are taking control, as the band delivers a cool rendition of “Leaving Trunk,” a song written by John Estes, and recorded by Taj Mahal, who used it as the lead-off track on his debut album. Sass Jordan follows it with a fun rendition of Willie Dixon’s “My Babe,” with a groove that should raise your spirits a bit, and with more good work on harmonica. This is a delicious song, and Sass Jordan does a really job with it. This track slowly fades out as the band eases out of this one. We then get a raw and excellent version of “Am I Wrong,” written by Kevin Moore (Keb’ Mo’). “Tell me, am I wrong/Falling in love with you.” This track features some simple percussion that includes hand claps, adding to that great raw vibe.

Hand claps also feature at the beginning of Sass Jordan’s version of “One Way Out,” a song written by Marshall E. Sehorn, Elmore James and Sonny Boy Williamson, but which I first heard done by The Allmann Brothers Band. And this version is certainly influenced by that Allmann Brothers rendition. Things then get rocking with “Palace Of The King,” a song written by Leon Russell, Don Nix and Donald “Duck” Dunn, and originally recorded by Freddie King, who included it on his 1971 LP Getting Ready. This version by Sass Jordan has a steady groove and a strong sense of driving forward, and it features some good work on guitar and some wonderful backing vocals. That’s followed by the only original song on the album, “The Key,” a good bluesy rock tune written by Sass Jordan and Derek Sharp. “I started digging a hole/I really didn’t know/There’s nowhere to escape from/And nowhere else to go.”

Sass Jordan then gives us that great classic blues sound on “Too Much Alcohol,” a song written and recorded by J.B. Hutto, and also recorded by Rory Gallagher. Sass Jordan delivers a wonderful rendition, and I love that little laugh she gives at the beginning after saying she went down to pick up a jug of alcohol. I suppose there is such a thing as too much alcohol, but these days it seems we could all use a great quantity just to get us through, you know. Anyway, I love her wild and excited vocal delivery here. The album then concludes with “Still Got The Blues,” a song written by Gary Moore. Oh yes, I still got the blues. At this point, who doesn’t have a serious case of the blues? Sass Jordan delivers a soulful performance.

CD Track List

1. Leaving Trunk
2. My Babe
3. Am I Wrong
4. One Way Out
5. Palace Of The King
6. The Key
7. Too Much Alcohol
8. Still Got The Blues

Rebel Moon Blues was released on March 13, 2020.