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8/20/2009
Greg Johnson
For Fiona Boyes, these last few years must seem like her life is charmed. After winning the 2003 International Blues Challenge solo/duet competition, things have steadily been on the upswing for her, receiving world-wide acceptance for her craft. Her initial Yellow Dog recording Lucky 13 and the collaboration with Mookie Brill and Rich Del Grosso, Live From Bluesville, helped solidify her standing amongst the elite musicians in the blues today, garnering two Blues Music Awards nominations. So how do you follow up with such success. Well, first thing is you don’t mess with what works. And in this case that means traveling back down to Austin, Texas, for her Yellow Dog sophomore effort using the same studio and the same producer, Kaz Kazanoff, that worked so well on Lucky 13. And oh yeah, bringing along friends like Jimi Bott, Ronnie James, Nick Connolly and Derek O’Brien doesn’t hurt any. Nor does people like Watermelon Slim, Pinetop Perkins, Marcia Ball and the Texas Horns dropping by to lend a hand. What you get as an end result is another outstanding product, which is exactly the only way you can describe Blues Woman.
Fiona’s songwriting skills continue to grow and impress. She wrote all but two songs on the disc; one is a joint effort she completed with her husband Steve “The Preacher” Clarke (“Howlin’ At Your Door”) and the other was written by her friend and fellow Australian Chris Wilson (“Look Out Love!”). And with a background for each tune laid out in the liner notes, you feel just how personal songwriting really is. Especially in the blues where it’s not just telling a story that matters, but knowing that this is a part of who you are. That is exactly what comes out here and should be noted from her comments for “Train To Hopesville” where she states, “ . . .when I’m feeling melancholy, a simple song can make me feel better . . . that’s the healing magic of the blues.” It’s hard to deny and listening to Blues Woman you’re going to feel a whole lot better than before yourself.
The mood of the selections jump around to offer variation and reflection of just how diverse Fiona can come across. From the sultry, bad girl lyrics of “Got My Eye On You” to the classic R&B feel of “Do You Feel Better,” the haunting resonator guitar work on her tribute to Florida’s Bradfordville Blues Club “Juke Joint On Moses Lake” to the punchy Mississippi beat on “Howlin’ At Your Door,” there is not a bad track to be found, all equally pleasing and more than just a go by the motions follow-up to Lucky 13. In fact, it may be superior to that last disc, showing Fiona’s continued growth, with a title that is very aptly named for her, Blues Woman.