Change is Sue Foley’s ninth recording, her first on Germany’s Ruf label. Sue broke on to the scene in her mid-twenties with her 1992 debut release Young Girl Blues which was recorded by Antone’s Records as a result of an impressive demo tape she had sent them. Since then, she has been a road warrior, managing her own band. She has won many awards in her native Canada, and elsewhere, and was the first Canadian female artist nominated for a W.C. Handy award.
Change is something of a departure for Sue, being both an acoustic and a live recording. The release has garnered Sue the 2004 Maple Blues Award for: Acoustic Artist of the Year; Female Vocalist of the Year and Recording of the Year. Tom Bona, the drummer on Change won the Maple award for Drummer of the Year.
The recording is an actual live performance that took place at Hugh’s Room in Toronto. It was done in one night. There were no over-dubs or re-dos. The gig was done without rehearsing. Sue was performing from memory and trying out some songs she had just written. The band consists of four musicians. Sue on guitar and vocals, Mike Turenne on bass, Tom Bona on drums and Graham Guest on keyboards.
The twelve tracks include five Foley originals: Goin’ Down the Road Again; Doggie Treats; Change; Mourning in the Morning and Shake That Thing. The balance are blues classics: Hardworking Woman; Careless Love; Bad Luck Woman; Sugar In My Bowl: Me and My Chauffeur and You Don’t Have To Go except for Sue’s cover of Here Comes the Sun.
Even though this is an acoustic performance it rocks, except for Here Comes the Sun which is done much like the original. The band plays some fast, intricate arrangements almost flawlessly, despite the fact this is a no rehearsal, one-take recording. Sue’s guitar work lives up to expectations, the acoustic playing perhaps leading to a little deeper appreciation of her talents as a guitarist. Her always “take no prisoners” vocals are rawer that her studio recordings, but again, this is a recording of a one-take live gig.
All in all this is a good release. It shows a side of Sue Foley not evident in her other recordings, nor even in the live mostly electric gigs which are her forte’. It is of particular interest to anyone who likes contemporary acoustic blues or who is a Sue Foley fan.
Sue is already working on her next release, tentatively entitled Absolution, which will focus upon roots/blues music She has started a company called Guitar Woman Inc., and has plans to form her own record label. She is also working on a project involving a book and a documentary that will be a historical and biographical account of women guitarists.
Sue’s current schedule shows her doing a few regional gigs, the Winnipeg Folk Festival, Thunder Bay Blues Festival and 10,000 Lakes Festival. Check out www.rufrecords.de or www.suefoley.com for more information about this record or Sue.
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