The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Jj Thames, a blues, soul and gospel force of nature, returns Friday
NEW HAVEN — Jj Thames, the awesome, Detroit-born, Mississippi-seasoned blues, soul and gospel singer, returns to Cafe Nine with her band, The Violet Revolt, on Friday — and you had best be there.
Anyone with any questions about just how powerful a performer Thames is had their questions answered the last time she played at Cafe Nine a few months ago. She was a force of nature.
But don’t take my word for it.
“Jj Thames is the future of the blues,” says no less an authority than Dorothy Moore, the Jackson, Miss.born blues, soul and gospel recording artist best known for her classic Malaco Records track, “Misty Blue.” Powerful words.
But if you listen to Thames just once — even when she does a cover, such as her take on Etta James’ “I’d Rather Go Blind,” you’ll believe it.
A native of Detroit who grew up in a General Motors family, with two parents who were preachers, Thames also honed her soulful voice in New York City and Jackson — home of the deep Southern soul blues that she is helping to reinvigorate.
If there’s one thing that’s clear, it’s that Thames, still in her early 30s, is a force of nature. But don’t believe it just because I say it — come see her sing Friday night at Cafe Nine (250 State St.).
Showtime is 8:30 p.m. Slim Francis opens. Admission is $15 at the door or $12 in advance, available at cafenine.com.
“Raw Sugar,” Thames’ follow-up to her 2014 DeChamp Records debut album, “Tell You What I Know,” is a collection of 13 original tracks laid down at Malaco Recording Studios with the help of Eddie Cotton, who produced the album with Thames and also plays lead guitar on it.
The classical- and jazztrained Thames started performing at 9 years old, and began singing the blues in earnest by age 18. She started her career in the late ’90’s onstage with the likes of Bobby Blue Bland, Peggy Scott Adams, Willie Clayton and Denise LaSalle, among others.