CD Review
Sharon Lewis with Under The Gun
Everything's Gonna Be Alright
(Sleeping Dog SDR-1001)
by Gordon Baxter
Review date: November 2004
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"Keeping the Blues Alive Award" Achievement for Blues on the Internet Presented by The Blues Foundation
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Chicago's Sharon Lewis has been working with Under the Gun since 1993. In the intervening 10 or so years she has played all the major Chicago Blues clubs, and opened for a wide range of top blues performers (Koko Taylor, Son Seals, Billy Branch and so on). Following a one year break she returned to the scene in 2001, often performing live with the Mojo Kings, before going into the studio to record "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" with Under The Gun.
The opener, "Hush," has something of a spiritual feel to it, which is rather appropriate given that it is performed by the Blind Jubilee Gregorian Tabernacle choir. It does have a rather strange ending though, before leading into "Mama's Children." This is another one with a spiritual feel to it, and Lewis sounds a bit Nina Simone on a song that has quite an intense feel. There is then a sea change for the title track as Lewis shows she can belt out the blues with the best of them.
When Lewis shifts into blues belter mode, the band also adopt a harsher, rockier sound, which does not always work. When they do this on slower numbers, such as "Before The Sun Goes Down," it does make things sound a bit ponderous. Having said that, when they keep things much more in the mainline of the blues, on songs like "Blues For Jesse" they can be quite sublime. Indeed, most of the albums best moments come on the slower, quieter tunes, such as "Pass You By" and "Qualified To Love You." The latter leads into the closer, "Hold On To Your Home," another uptempo blues belter.
"Everything's Gonna Be Alright" shows that Sharon Lewis is a fine singer. The album showcases a range of styles, mainly focusing on the blues belter and ballad ends of the spectrum. There is quite a stark contrast between the two styles, with the raunchier material sometimes sounding a bit too much like a battle for supremacy between guitar and vocals. Overall then, an album that shows lots of promise and suggests that Lewis is an act worth catching live.
Sharon Lewis (Chicago Blues Diva)
Sleeping Dog Records (Independent Blues Label)
www.sharonlewisblues.com
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