Album Spotlight: Danielle Nicole - Cry No More

Danielle Nicole's sophomore solo album Cry No More is a sweaty, sultry blues rock album that is the epitome of my definition of "swamp". The Kansas City native would be right at home in the blues scene of her hometown as well as as the Mississippi Delta, or Memphis, or Texas.

Pulling double duty as not only lead vocalist but also bassist for her band, you know the music is going to feature the bass prominently, and that's a good thing. Too often, the bass gets buried in the mix, not here.

Danielle Nicole started playing bass in order to keep her former band, Trampled Under Foot, a family affair. When she ventured out on her own, no way she was giving up the bass, for the betterment of us all as fans of music.

Is there anything particularly innovative or unique on Cry No More? Not necessarily. But that's not a bad thing. There is absolutely nothing wrong with knowing your wheelhouse and going with it and making kickass music. In fact, that's what I love about the album. It knows what it is and it's going to be as good as or better than anything else you hear.

Her voice is not going to blow you away. It has some Bonnie Raitt qualities, maybe some Melissa Etheridge. However, her voice is perfect for the type of music she plays. It just fits like a glove.

If you start listening and don't like the first song, "Crawl", then stop. But if you do, you're in for a treat. Not a bad song on the album.

I'm going to post a live version of the song "Save Me", because as good as the studio version is, this is better. Which I think every song would be.

Retro Album Spotlight: Sass Jordan - Racine

One of the great things about fantastic music is that it doesn't have an expiration date. Music made that plays to the trends is usually disposable after a few years, but if an artist makes a great album, it will stand the test of time. That's what Sass Jordan did 25 years ago with Racine.

On the 25th anniversary (not to the day, but the year) of Racine's debut, Sass Jordan is releasing Racine ReVisited on September 15, which is a total re-recording of the album with hand picked musicians. You can read more about that on Jordan's website, and you should.

Here's a short teaser of said album.



Being totally transparent, I readily admit I was not aware of the original album until I ran across something about Jordan doing a 25th anniversary remake. Sure, I was aware of Sass Jordan, have heard a few songs, but never really spent any time with her music. Like I said in the opening, there is no expiration date on good music. So listening to Racine was like listening to a brand new album. And what an album it is, very worthy of a remake, if only the remake can hold up to the original.

Racine is a rock album, borrowing heavily from the blues with a sprinkling of country and honky tonk thrown in. For those that read regularly, yes, there is swamp. Jordan's vocals are in the vein of Melissa Etheridge, Bonnie Raitt, Janis Joplin. And for a British born Canadian, there seems to be some inexplicable twang at times.

I don't know Jordan's influences, but there is a heavy Rolling Stones vibe to a lot of the songs.

Racine ReVisted will be her first album since 2009's From Dusk til Dawn. And I understand why established artists don't spend the money to record new music with the way the industry is nowadays so this will be an interesting study because Racine ReVistied is not just a remastering or remix, it's a full fledged re-recording of the album.

I'm also very compelled by Racine ReVisited because it wasn't re-recorded to be current, it was re-recorded 70s style, according to Jordan.

In the meantime, get to know the 25 year old original. Here are a couple of my favorite tracks.

Album Spotlight: Eliza Neals: Breaking and Entering

If I had 2015 to do all over again Eliza Neals' Breaking and Entering may have made one of my year end lists. Unfortunately, I didn't hear this album until a couple of days ago. That's the beauty of music, there is no expiration date on good. Whether it be 2015 or 1995 or 1965, good music is good music. And that's what Eliza Neals provides: good music.

Hailing from Detroit, Eliza Neals borrows heavily from the Mississippi delta and combines it with the upper midwest blues style with just a touch of rock. Neals has vocals reminiscent of Janis Joplin, Bonnie Raitt and Stevie Nicks. That combination makes for an enjoyable listen for those that like the blues but not too pure.

Listen to this, and tell me I'm not right.

Artist Spotlight: John Hiatt

After a recent conversation with a couple of other bloggers who also look for stuff outside of the mainstream, I took a deep dive into the music of John Hiatt. Now, I had always been a fan of Hiatt's, I just never realized how underrated his music is until now.

I was very familiar with the album Slow Turning because it has my favorite Hiatt song on it, "Paper Thin". At that time, I was not into digging for stuff like I have been the past few years, so I never really got into his entire catalog.

Little did I know that Bonnie Raitt's hit song "Thing Called Love" was a John Hiatt song. Or that his songs have been recorded by such diverse artists as Three Dog Night, Ronnie Milsap, Iggy Pop, Conway Twitty and the Neville Brothers.

What kind of music does John Hiatt make? Mostly just good music, but if you want reference, look above at who has recorded his songs. Country, Americana, blues, soul, heartland rock, roots. The thing is, Hiatt can't really be pigeonholed into one genre. That may have hurt him commercially, but we, as listeners, get a treat.

If you're reading this blog, you're going to find something in the John Hiatt catalog that you like. He's been at the game for a long time, so for a starting point, go with 1988's Slow Turning and then progress forward or backward. Or if you like what you hear, jump around and explore. You won't be disappointed.

This is the song that introduced me to John Hiatt, "Paper Thin":



And another one of my favorites, "Perfectly Good Guitar":

New Music Found: Crystal Shawanda

Crystal Shawanda grew up in Ontario, Canada on a reservation. You can read her bio on her official webpage. What I want to focus on is her music and incredible voice.

Her 2014 album The Whole World's Got The Blues saw her turn away from the country music of her first record, and she truly found her place. Her voice, to me, sounds like a cross between Tanya Tucker and Bonnie Raitt with a touch of Aretha for power.

The  soul-inspired, country-tinged blues rock music is the perfect bed for her vocals to lie.

Here's a live version of the song "The Whole World's Got The Blues". Enjoy.

Chicks That Rock the Blues: Samantha Fish

I'll be honest, I'd never heard of Samantha Fish before yesterday. I was doing some searching on youtube for a version of the Rolling Stones' "Dead Flowers" and came across hers. I liked it, so naturally, I had to investigate further.

Hailing from Kansas City, Samantha is more blues than rock, but more rock than just blues. She also dabbles in country-tinged songs as well. At least that is what I gathered from a couple of listens to her 2013 album Black Wind Howlin', released last September.

There is a lot of stuff to like on this album, whether you are a fan of blues, rock, country or Americana. She delivers it all. Known as a blues artist, she is. But not purely. There is enough blues on the record to satisfy all but the purists, including a cover of Howlin' Wolf's "Who's Been Talking." That is the only cover on the album, although there is a song called "Heartbreaker" which I almost expected to be a Led Zeppelin cover, which could have been very interesting.

The songs are minimal in instrumentation, mostly just guitar, bass and drums with not a lot of overdubs. A classic three piece setup. There is some harp and fiddle on a couple of songs.

At times, Samantha's vocals remind me a bit of Bonnie Raitt, which is a good thing, but she also has her own style. Her guitar work is good, but she's no Stevie Ray (but then again, who is?).

For the rockers, there are tracks like "Miles to Go", "Heartbreaker" and "Lay it Down". For a bit of Louisiana country with hints of zydeco, check out "Last September". And then there is plenty of blues throughout.

This is the video for "Lay it Down".

I just can't believe I've never heard of her before. Enjoy.

Samantha Fish on Amazon.

TheCheapSeats on twitter.