Tia Carroll

★★★★

You Gotta Have It

LITTLE VILLAGE. CD/DL

First-class soul and blues album by a skilled and strident singer.

ALL OF THE above, yes, but what grabs the listener’s attention by the scruff of its neck is the quality and variety of Tia Carroll’s material. The serious Black Lives Matter message of Ain’t Nobody Worryin’, the pensive blues Even When I’m Not Alone, two warnings to presumptuous men, Our Last Time and Don’t Put Your Hands On Me – the album begins with this quadruplewhammy, and there’s much more to come. Producers Kid Andersen, who plays most of the guitar, and Jim Pugh (keyboards) give the proceedings a bright, brassy sheen, with here and there an affectionate flashback to R&B prehistory like the chuntering guitar rhythms of Move On or the wailing chorus of horns on Never Let Me Go. A hugely satisfying record.