She starts off with a cover of that old Johnny Winter hit (“Still Alive And Well”). And then she winds her way through a juicy mix of both covers and originals.
This is an album you’ll really enjoy whether you’re an old Sass fan or someone new to the party.
That Voice
First and foremost, there’s that voice.
Sass has a patent, I think, on “sexy-raspy-growly.” It’s a perfect fit for this material too. Because this is an all-in, Bluesy-Blues album and her vocals couldn’t be more expressive.
She won the Juno Award in 1989 for “Most Promising Female Vocalist.” And, while there’s definitely some mileage on those vocal cords now, there’s also 30+ years of experience and nuance there too. Those chops allow her to sing the s#!t out of these tunes. She owns ’em.
It’s mesmerizing.
“My whole reason for being on the planet, as far as I can tell, is to inspire and uplift people and to celebrate life…I’ve chosen music as the medium through which I can do that.” ~ Sass Jordan
That Band
Even a great singer can’t do it alone.
And while lots of albums have great players on them, for any album to be special, great players have to play great together. Good news. That’s Bitches Blues.
I could call out literally every musician on this record but I’m going to claim personal privilege and single out the two that tickled me the most.
Jesse O’Brien: He laid in some really tasty organ and (especially) piano. (A past Maple Blues Award winning “Keyboard Player of the Year.”)
Steve Marriner: He topped off a couple tunes with some flawless harmonica. (Another Maple Blues Award winner.)
But truly, everyone nails it on this album. They fill out the sonic space beautifully together and always leave enough room for Sass to soar.
Plus…
…All the tunes on this album are so wonderfully arranged and performed I can’t even gripe about the fact that there’s only 8 of them.
In truth, there’s a lot of musical variety here – both between and within the tunes. Zero percent musical filler. And a super-sized serving of musical bang for the buck.
Sass Jordan’s in complete control on this album. She makes the covers sound like originals and the originals sound like covers. I did say she owned ’em didn’t I?
Preview ‘Bitches Blues’
…You can get ‘Bitches Blues’ directly from Sass H E R E!
Thanks for reading!
Jon Beres
I’m one part Blues Fan and one part Digital Native (with a dash of Curmudgeon.) I’m also the publisher of AlltheWayBlue.com. If you love the Blues, I have a feeling we’ll get along just fine - cheers!
Download this FREE Blues Resource Guide and keep up with everything that's going on in the world of Blues Music.
