Happy Valentine's Day
Over the years, Valentine's Day has sure given me the blues. Whether I've been married or single, I've always had trouble picking out the right gift. I get tired of giving flowers every year, and I can't seem to pick out the right jewelry. When I suggest a fetching lingerie ensemble for my wife, she looks at me as if I need psychiatric help, probably the kind that Randall P. McMurphy got in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. For me, one cure for the Valentine's Day blues has always been the blues, and before my wife changes the locks on my front door, I'd like to wish you all a Happy Valentine's Day with some suggestions for some Valentine's Day blues.
Growing up, I was always told that the first girl I saw in morning would be my valentine for the whole day. As an adult, and a blues fan, I'm glad that I'll be waking up to the blues from some mighty talented blueswomen this Valentine's Day, Candye Kane and Lorna Wilhelm. Haven't heard of 'em? They're just two of the most exciting blueswomen around. Let me tell you why their discs have been in my CD player more often than not. Before I send my Valentines to Candye and Lorna, though, I hope you'll take a peek at my review of Canadian bluesman Sue Foley's excellent compilation, Back to the Blues over in the CD Reviews section of this month's Cosmik Debris. In addition to Candye and Lorna, Sue's another one of my blues valentines for her command of country blues that's captured on Antone's Records of the Texas Music Group.
Candye Kane's latest Bullseye/Rounder disc, The Toughest Girl Alive, is a sassy send-up of some good-time, big-fun blues that only she can dish out. She's overcome the suspicions of many blues purists out there, but it's taken five CDs plus a whole lot of critical acclaim to live down her porn star and welfare mom background. Candye's music is just like her: bold, big, and brassy, she gets her way with a bluesy swagger, simmering torch song, high camp, or just a touch of rockabilly. Last year, Candye's made it to one of my virtual colleagues' top five list: Dan Forte included the Toughest Girl Alive as an honorable mention for one of his top CDs of 2000. Right on, Dan. Candye's persisted through a lot, and when she's doing rockabilly on "Je N'en Peux Plus Sans Ma Cadillac" or simply throwing around a lot of attitude on "(Hey Mister!) She Was My Baby Last Night," she really lets loose. Check her out at House of Blues has included Candye on its 30 Essential Women of the Blues CD and last year's 10th annual San Diego Music Awards voted Candye Kane as Best Blues Artist of the Year 2000! As the bumper sticker says, I'd rather be inSane Diego with Ms. Kane anytime.
My second blues Valentine this year goes to Lorna Wilhelm from Texas. Her CD, I Feel Good With the Blues (PoundCat Music) is a mixed bag of jazz, blues and swing. Lorna's got a sultry voice that just won't quit, whether she's singing her own stuff or covering Ike Turner's "Fool in Love" or the classic "Cry Me a River." I had thought that this song had been covered enough, until I heard Lorna's version. Producer Dick Gimble's bass powers the swing-scat blues of "Fat Cat's Tattoos", and it certainly shows off Lorna's jazz vocal chops. Another favorite is the late-night, knowing blues of "My Man Called Me" featuring Rob Page's simmering sax and the fine, fine picking of Ken Frazier on guitar. Lorna's pretty hard to pigeonhole, though. There's something good on each and every track, and even if it's flavored with a pinch of jazz, sass or just plain attitude, I Feel Good With the Blues feels right at home in my Texas blues collection. This year, she's been featured in interviews on the Rollin' and Tumblin' blues show at KFAI in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, and Columbia, Missouri's own House of Blues Party on KBXR-FM, which just happens to follow Blues Brother Elwood Blues (Dan Aykroyd) at the House of Blues Radio Hour on Sunday nights. Not bad blues company, that's for sure. Other radio action includes WEVL's Soul Stew in Memphis, which played I Feel Good With the Blues from start to finish during Soul Stew. My vote for a single, "Good Girl Feelin' Blue" was included on Oasis Records new compilation of emerging blues and jazz artists. Lorna tells me that her record is being played at more than 40 stations in the USA, Australia, Canada, Belgium, Great Britain, and Spain. If you like your music with a slight Texas twang, give Lorna a listen. Lorna says it best: get ready to wiggle-waggle down at Lorna's website, www.lornasblues.com.
Next month, I'll preview the 2001 W.C. Handy Awards, my favorite blues evening of the year. If the planets line up just right, I'll also feature a report from the First Blues Weekend in Memphis from Bruce Iglauer, the President of Alligator Records and one of the key players behind the scenes of the Blues Music Association and its sister organization, the Blues Foundation. First Blues is blues heaven: a weekend blues event that features live gigs, panel discussions from magazines like Billboard, The Mix, and the Blues Review. There's also a blues convention, an expo featuring the promotional work of blues societies worldwide and sessions devoted to musicians, corporations and blues fans.
In the meantime, check out the blues reviews over in the CD Reviews section. And, Happy Valentine's Day.
