Val Starr & The Blues Rocket: “Healing Kind Of Blues” (2022) CD Review

The blues do have a healing power. Somehow singing of our troubles seems to soften them, if not dispel them entirely. Giving voice to them takes away some of their power over us, and thus lightens our load. Val Starr & The Blues Rocket acknowledge and celebrate that healing aspect of the blues on their latest album, Healing Kind Of Blues. I like the playful photo on the album’s cover, though it is interesting that the guitar is receiving the healing fluids through the IV rather than delivering them. And Val is taking the guitar’s pulse, as if to check whether it is still alive. The album features all original material, written by Val Starr, much of it composed during the pandemic, when folks took a new look at their priorities, took stock of their lives, and perhaps felt closer to oblivion than usual. Many of these songs deal with aging, something that has certainly been our minds lately. The band is made up of Val Starr on vocals and rhythm guitar, John Ellis on bass and slide guitar, Paul Farman on drums, Tim Brisson on lead guitar, and Frankie Munz on harmonica. Some special guests join them on various tracks. One last note about the CD case: on the back, Val is pictured holding another guitar. Does that mean the one on the front didn’t make it?

The album opens with “Ridin’ That Memphis High,” a tune that has an easygoing vibe, like a warm summer breeze, and features some nice work on harmonica, a good bass line and some wonderful stuff on guitar. This song pays tribute to one of the important music cities of this country. “Memphis is that magic place where music fills you up/And you can get a belly full of blues/Memphis is ground zero, where much of it began/It doesn’t matter if you play or if you’re just a fan.” Then Todd Morgan joins the group on keys for “All About The Shuffle.” For me, this one is all about the groove. Well, that, and Val Starr’s vocal performance, which is delightful. There is a sort of cheerful dance to her delivery at times. This is a cool and totally enjoyable tune. “The music gets you moving, gets you spinning around, oh yeah.” That’s followed by “Slow Blues Grinder,” its title telling you just what to expect from this track’s sound. Val Starr delivers a sexy, seductive, and powerful vocal performance in this blues song about the blues. Here she compares the blues to other music realms, with some humorous lines like “And reggae makes you lazy.” I love this song, though she mispronounces the word “forte,” a common mistake. (For those who are wondering, the word is one syllable, rhyming with “port” and “snort.”) Todd Morgan plays organ on this one.

“Healing Kind Of Blues,” the album’s title track, opens with Val Starr asking, “What kind of blues are you in the mood for?” This one has a jazzy vibe, and features some excellent work on saxophone from special guest Danny Sandoval. This entire country seems in need of a healing, and not just due to the pandemic, but also the gun violence, and the politics of hatred and fear being pushed by the Republicans. Todd Morgan is again on organ, and Horacio Socarras is on percussion. That’s followed by “If You Ever Change Your Mind,” which has a bit of a swing, a delicious groove, and more great work by Danny Sandoval on saxophone. I love the style of this one, especially Val Starr’s vocal approach, which takes us back several decades. The bass line and that delightful lead on piano also help make this track one of my personal favorites. Debra Power plays piano on this one. There is also some really nice work on drums. Everything about this song works perfectly.

“Age Is Just Is Number” is another totally enjoyable number, featuring a catchy rhythm. I’m not sure I agree with the message of this one, though I’d certainly like to. I often feel quite young inside, but then my knee hurts or I can’t remember what the hell I was doing, or I have to put on a different pair of glasses to read the CD’s liner notes, and then age is not just a number. This track features some great stuff on harmonica. Todd Morgan is on keys. That’s followed by “Pretty Girl Blues,” which also deals with aging. It has a classic blues rhythm, and Debra Power delivers more delicious stuff on piano. There is a certain humor to this one, to its approach, as Val sings, “Why do all the pretty girls always get their way?/Don’t you realize I have just as much to say/Well, I walk into a room, and the guys all look away.” She makes comparisons to the younger women, but ultimately sings of being secure in herself and where’s at in her life. There is a delightful joy to this song. Then “Don’t Love ‘Em” is a very cool, slow number featuring another stellar vocal performance. “Don’t love ‘em if they can’t give back/You need to feel it too before the night is through.” I also dig that guitar.

“Outside Looking In” has more of a rock thing happening. Check out these lines: “We slave our lives away/Just to live another day/And every time you think they’ve come around/Someone comes along and knocks you down/And once again you’re on the outside looking in.” But this song is really about not giving up. That’s followed by “We’re Not Getting Older,” another song about aging, its main line being “We’re not getting older, we’re getting better.” I appreciate that positive outlook. I don’t think my girlfriend will agree with that line, but I feel the truth of this line: “No matter what I say or do, I am so much better with you.” And I love that lead on guitar. Then “Blues Family” begins with some cool work on bass. This is a cheerful tune about the blues and dancing out troubles away. It features Ilana Katz Katz on fiddle. Horacio Socarras is on percussion. Here Val Starr urges listeners, “Join our blues family.” The album then concludes with “Get Over It,” this one having a rock and roll vibe. It also deals with aging, again with a positive bent. “You look into the mirror/Is that person really you/Well, I’m here to say/You need to stay/Away from feeling blue.” Todd Morgan delivers some excellent stuff on keys, and this song also features some nice stuff on harmonica. “So why do you let little things in life still get you down/Remember what’s important, and thank god you’re still around.” This song looks forward to an even brighter future.

CD Track List

1. Ridin’ That Memphis High
2. All About The Shuffle
3. Slow Blues Grinder
4. Healing Kind Of Blues
5. If You Ever Change Your Mind
6. Age Is Just A Number
7. Pretty Girl Blues
8. Don’t Love ‘Em
9. Outside Looking In
10. We’re Not Getting Older
11. Blues Family
12. Get Over It

Healing Kind Of Blues was released on January 21, 2022 on Sandwich Factory Records.