CD Review
Marion James
Essence
(Soul Food Records, 2003, SFR-01)
by Steve Mainwaring
Review date: June 2005
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"Keeping the Blues Alive Award" Achievement for Blues on the Internet Presented by The Blues Foundation
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Marion James has a voice big enough to fill the space in front of any jazz or blues outfit. She can belt ‘em out with the best of them, but the more laid-back songs are equally powerful. Despite her hit “That’s My Man” in the 1950s and the fact that her sidemen have included Jimi Hendrix and Billy Cox (of the Band Of Gypsies), Marion appears to have been a better kept Nashville secret than why people buy Garth Brooks records. In the late 1980s she even hung up her mike but now she’s back and I’m glad.
She writes some of her own material and is justifiably confident enough in it to kick off the CD with one of six originals. Beegie Adair and her trio accompany her on six songs which tend to show off both the jazzier end of Marion’s abilities and the elegance of Adair’s accompaniment and solos. The other tracks are electric blues accompanied by musicians who have worked with worked with the likes of Steve Ray Vaughan, Willie Dixon, Marvin Gaye, Isaac Hayes and the Allman Brothers, a fact which amply demonstrates both the range of her music and the esteem in which she is held by her fellow musicians.
There are a few minor irritations. We are all used to the blues being idiosyncratic grammatically, but ‘I don’t know while I love you ... I don’t know while I feel this way’ just annoys me. And while most of the backing is truly excellent, there is some annoying choppy sub-Isaac Hayes guitar playing, presumably by Jack Pearson, which made me check that I wasn’t listening to something recorded thirty years ago.
The disc ends with what is called a ‘live interview’ (as opposed to what, I’m not sure) interspersed with two numbers on which she accompanies herself on piano, but while her playing is just about adequate Pinetop Perkins won’t be worried. This unfortunately ends what is generally a very appealing album rather anticlimactically.
Soul Jazz Records have some samples on their website. This appears to be their only release but if they maintain this standard I look forward to them making a welcome contribution.
www.soulfoodrecords.com
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