I’m a bit slow off the starting blocks with this one, having been ‘in on’ Joanne’s music since the very beginning when Thomas Ruf used to send me her early CDs (Those were the days!) I also saw her early doors playing live in an Edinburgh where unfortunately the acoustics weren’t that great but nevertheless, I had a great night and went home with a promo poster. I have pretty much everything she has released, my favourite album still being “Almost Always Never” (2012- can’t be that long ago!), especially ‘Soul Station’ the opening number. So, I was looking forward to hearing an album with a title Joanne finally got around to using!
I wasn’t disappointed: ‘Sweet ‘Lil Lies’ is a strong opener, Joanne’s husky, sultry voice as great as ever. She really knows how to nail a blues/ soul number, a perfectly constructed guitar break and just the right kind of accompaniment by pianist Jimmy Wallace, reminding me of Chris Stainton’s work with Joe Cocker. ‘All the Way from America’ reveals another side to Joanne’s voice, a plaintive ballad written by Joan Armatrading, with Wallace wisely mixing in organ as well as piano this time. A shout out also to the rhythm section of Allison Prestwood and Anton Fig on bass and drums. A swampy blues, ‘Black Magic’ is greeted with enthusiasm by Joanne and by my ears with sweet soulful backing vocals by Jade Macrae and Danielle Deandrea, and a nifty little barrelhouse piano break: listen out for a passing resemblance to ‘Nutbush City Limits’! A change of style again to a funkier soul style on ‘Drowning in a Sea of Love’ (note the change from definite to indefinite article in the title), originally recorded by Joe Simon in 1971. ‘A Good Goodbye’ is co-written with Carmen Vandenberg of Bones UK (and with a Jeff Beck association) and features the chorus singers again with a clean B.B. King guitar style. Joanne (I presume) really lets-rip on the title track. ‘Wild Love’ is another co-write, with Elliot Gruenberg this time- is this the guy who’s in the Metalcore band Blessthefall from Phoenix? ‘Someone Like You’ is a Van Morrison number from 1987. An original, ‘Devil in Me’ and ‘Change of Heart’, a co-write with Beth Nielsen Chapman this time, close the album as strongly as it began.
It would be nice to know if Joanne plays all the guitar breaks as there is a second guitarist Rob McNally (and a rhythm guitarist in Doug Lancio) but this is a minor point. Joanne does reveal in her liner notes that she thought it the right time to reunite with Kevin Shirley who produced this RCA Studio Nashville album: she says “Heavy Soul” is a contemporary blues/ soul pop. Roots music blend, but she can really rock as well!
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