JOANNE SHAW TAYLOR

THE BLUES ALBUM

KTBA Records 9/10

If you’re going to record a blues album with Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith both producing and guesting, you’re quite probably set for success. That’s exactly what blues guitarist Joanne Shaw Taylor has done with The Blues Album and it’s a treat throughout. On songs originally recorded by blues legends Albert King, Peter Green, Aretha Franklin and Little Milton, Joanne finds a new fire in her playing – the guitar on the opening track, Peter Green’s Stop Messin’ Round, is white hot and the music doesn’t disappoint from there on. Vocals are smokey and soulful, especially on If You Gotta Make A Fool Of Somebody, and JST’s Albert Collins influence is obvious from both her choice of instrument – her 1966 Fender Esquire nicknamed

‘Junior’– and her consummate, mature phrasing. It’s a great album. More, Joanne, please! DM