Barbara Blue is an undeniable power in the blues world. She is originally from Pittsburgh, but has been entertaining folks on Beale St. in Memphis for the last twenty-five years, and in 2015 received her Brass Note on the Beale Street Walk of Fame. In 2018, she released Fish In Dirty H2O, an album containing a mix of original compositions and classic tunes. She is now following that with a new album, From The Shoals, which features mostly original material, co-written by Barbara Blue. Joining her on this release are Bernard Purdie on drums, David Hood on bass, Clayton Ivey on organ, Mark Narmore on piano, Will McFarlane on guitar, Davor Hačić on guitar, Brad Guin on saxophone, Marc Franklin on trumpet, and Kimberlie Helton on backing vocals.
The album kicks off with “The Shoals.” This song begins with a good groove, and once that is established, Barbara Blue tells us, “There’s a powerful magic,” and leaves us no doubt about the veracity of that statement. We can hear it already, in that groove and in her vocals. This is a song about music, and it has a good deal of soul itself. It’s one of those songs in which the singer shouts out the names of other artists, celebrating their contributions. Then halfway through the track, she sings, “This is sacred ground/Where the trail of tears flows,” lines that come as a surprise. I wasn’t expecting it to take that direction. “Listen to the rhythm that Mother Earth has to show.” And that rhythm keeps us moving. This song was written by Barbara Blue and Davor Hačić, and it’s followed by another original composition by Barbara Blue and Davor Hačić, “Nutthouse Blues.” Here she sings, “My baby’s driving me to the nuthouse/Tell me that’s where I’ll find my soul/We’ve got a long, long way to travel/To find out what the future holds.” And while she also might mean an actual loony bin, she certainly means the recording studio. For this album was partially recorded at a place called NuttHouse Studio in Sheffield, Alabama (thus the extra T in the song’s title). This track features some good work on electric guitar and then keys during that jam while that classic blues rhythm continues underneath. And when Barbara Blue belts out the line “I don’t love you no more,” the guitar can’t help but respond. But don’t worry, she then adds, “I don’t love you no less.”
Barbara Blue then delivers the first cover of the album, a fun rendition of “Tell Mama,” featuring the horn section. “Tell Mama/What you need,” she sings. Well, what I need is more of this music, for it is helping fix all that ails me. Ah, isn’t that what the best of the blues does? That’s followed by the album’s other cover, Jimmy Hughes’ “Steal Away.” This is a wonderful rendition, with that classic sound. “Oh, I’ve got to see you/Somehow/Not tomorrow, babe/Right now.” Here she urges her lover to act on impulse, to not bother thinking things through. Sometimes that is best. What a great vocal performance she delivers here, full of emotion, raw and yet beautiful. And she extends the song, adding more vocal work at the end: “I’m here all alone/All by myself/Ain’t got nobody, baby/Don’t want nobody else/It’s you I need/It’s you I want now, babe/Oh, please, please, please just steal away.”
She delivers another great, soulful performance on “Severed.” This is one she co-wrote with Mark Narmore, and it’s about the state of the world. “We can’t give up hope yet/We need to learn hate just can’t win/We need more time for healing/To get us started all over again/We need some listening, more giving/So we don’t break if we need to bend/We need more kindness, color blindness.” We all see how things have gotten into a terrible state, and yet we can’t seem to pull ourselves out of it, to mend all that’s been torn asunder. Many people are calling out for a large-scale healing. I wonder when it will happen. I still believe that music will be at the heart of it if it does indeed occur, music like this. “This hatred got to come to an end.” That’s followed by “Curse Of Beauty,” written by Barbara Blue and Davor Hačić. I love when Barbara begins to belt out certain lines, and the horns respond. It is like she has summoned them with her power, with her spell, and unleashed them. Very cool. Then in “Lost Young Love,” she sings “If I could throw back the hands of time/To be young and you to be mine/For time to stand still/And let us be.” Oh yes, who doesn’t desire this? That idea is so appealing. And this song is incredibly effective and appealing as well. Plus, it features some good work on keys.
“Slide Man” is a sexy number. And it begins with baseball references, so I am on board immediately: “Some like to slide into second/Some like to slide into home.” This is a playful, totally enjoyable song. It was written by Barbara Blue and Mark Narmore. Just listen to that guitar sing in the second half. That’s followed by “Too Far,” which eases in. “Whisky is my witness/For all the nights I spend/Thinking if it’s worth/To try and bend again.” The saxophone is her companion here, in what might otherwise be a lonesome night. “Yes, I know myself too well.” This is another gem, written by Barbara Blue and Davor Hačić. It features a passionate guitar lead in the second half. This track really develops a strong atmosphere and mood. Then at the beginning of “Nothing Lasts Forever,” she tells us “Nothing lasts forever/You got to get it while you can.” And, yeah, she refers to Howard Tate directly by name (one of his hits was titled “Get It While You Can”). And check out these lines: “You saved me from the darkness/A void deep inside my heart/You saved me from the darkness/Right from the very start.” Yet she is contemplating the end, singing “I know my days are numbered/You’d better find somebody new.” This is a powerful song.
“Never Stopped Loving You” is a mellower number, looking back. “Through it all, I never stopped loving you.” That’s really what this life is all about. I think most of us know this by now. The pandemic certainly put things into perspective, at least for those who took it seriously. I love when Barbara Blue begins to belt out some of the lyrics. Hers is a performance that seems to come from a place of need, and certainly a place of truth. “My life went dark when you said we’re through/But I never, no I never stopped loving you.” You can hear the heartache in her delivery, and you can hear the love. And I dig those backing vocals. That’s followed by “Song Of The River.” Her delivery at the beginning approaches spoken word, and here she mentions the shoals again. This is another powerful track. This album’s opening track mentioned the trail of tears, and the album concludes with a song titled “Trail Of Tears.” This one soon establishes a strong, classic blues rhythm, which is like a steady pulse. “You can no longer hear/The echo of tribal drums/The children of the sun/Are gathered one by one/Heading across the mud/Moving west from the dawn/On the trail of tears.”
CD Track List
- The Shoals
- Nutthouse Blues
- Tell Mama
- Steal Away
- Severed
- Curse Of Beauty
- Lost Young Love
- Slide Man
- Too Far
- Nothing Lasts Forever
- Never Stopped Loving You
- Song Of The River
- Trail Of Tears
From The Shoals is scheduled to be released on January 27, 2023.
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