My first contact with singer Janiva Magness was at the 2003 Mississippi Valley Blues Festival in Davenport, Iowa. At the time, Janiva was one of a number of blues women on the schedule who were all trying to move beyond the regional talent phase of their careers and into the national spotlight. The Detroit, Michigan to California transplant put on an impressive show in Iowa, one that probably helped play a part in her subsequent rise to greater prominence as a national artist.
Along with her latest release on Northern Blues Music, Bury Him At The Crossroads, Janiva has started to gain the national recognition that she rightly deserves. Along with her new record, on a new label, in 2004 Janiva added a W. C. handy Award nomination for Best Contemporary Blues Female Artist to her credit.
Interestingly, despite her recent success as a charismatic, powerhouse blues singer who mixes her vocal talents with a bit of vamp to tantalize the audience, Janiva seems to have made a conscious decision on Bury Him At The Crossroads to experiment with some music and a band that takes her in a different musical direction from her previous work. By her own admission, the songs on Bury Him At The Crossroads were approached from a different direction; with a smaller, root-oriented band and a focus on songs that carried a more personal meaning for her – resulting in a recording that she might not otherwise have done.
Along with five songs written by Janiva’s long time musical partner, Jeff Turmes, Magness performs some great renditions of songs by such luminaries as Magic Sam, Oliver Sain, Delbert McClinton, J. B. Lenoir and Rev. Robert Wilkins. The CD also includes one song written by co-producer and guitarist, Colin Linden, “Wasn’t That Enough.” Featuring the strong, melodic vocals provided by Janiva Magness, the band includes Colin Linden (guitar/background vocals), Jeff Turmes (rhythm guitar, bass, baritone sax & banjo), Richard Bell (keyboards) and Stephen Hodges (drums).
Depending on the song, Janiva’s presentation of the thirteen tunes on Bury Him At The Crossroads provides a sound that leans either towards Maria Muldaur or Rory Block in similarity. From the opening number, “A Woman Knows,” one of Jeff Turmes compositions, the CD takes an musical journey from Mississippi to St. Louis, Memphis and on to Chicago, much like the travels of the blues musicians who migrated north from the towns and farms of Mississippi pre and post World War II. Highlights of Bury Him At The Crossroads include an excellent, stripped down version of J. B. Lenoir’s “The Whale Has Swallowed Me,” featuring some powerful, emotion-filled vocals by Magness, backed only by Colin Linden on guitar and the traditional Chicago-style feeling of Magic Sam’s composition “Everything Gonna Be Alright,” with a nice guitar solo by Linden and Richard Bell pounding the 88’s in the background. “Lost And Lookin’” has Magness crying out on this torchy blues with Bell switching to the Hammond B-3 for backup. Following up tempo, acoustic, Linden-penned, “Wasn’t That Enough,” Magness shifts to some St. Louis R+B with a fine rendition of Ollie Sain’s, “The Soul Of A Man.”
Other strong numbers on the recording are the tight version of Rev. Robert Wilkin’s classic, “That’s No Way To Get Along;” Jeff Turmes’ banjo accompaniment and Janiva’s pleading vocals on the title track; a “Delbert dun’ right” version of McClinton’s “Ain’t Lost Nothin;’ and the vampy closing number, “Eat The Lunch You Brought,” another Jeff Turmes number that Magness attacks with abandon.
Bury Him At The Crossroads takes Janiva Magness on a different musical course, but one that she definitely does justice to with her personal style and enthusiasm. With a fine voice and a seasoned band, Bury Him At The Crossroads accomplishes what it sets out to do, to display Janiva’s talents in a way that she could embrace personally and professionally. To learn more about Janiva Magness and to purchase this or any of her other recordings, visit her website at www.janivamagness.com.
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