8/27/2006

Ken Rosenbaum

Blueswoman Boyes masters many styles

It would be tough to find a style of blues that Fiona Boyes fails to cover on this outstanding sampler of her artistry. The Australian singer/writer/guitarist traces her musical roots deep into prewar country blues, dipping here into styles ranging from old-time Delta, Memphis, Chicago, and New Orleans to horn-accented jump blues, with a touch of rockabilly along the way.

She wrote 10 of the 13 numbers, adding a dash of contemporary lyrics to classic sounds. She cuts loose with a low-down bluesy growl or a sweet sensuality as each song needs.

Additionally, she is an instrumental master at work on almost every guitar solo here, whether it's dazzling acoustic finger-picking or heated electric riffs. A couple are done by her pal, Bob Margolin, who lends a hand with guitar on several tracks. Blues piano magician Marcia Ball and the Texas Horns also help make this eclectic album much more than just another blues package.

The fair-haired Boyes appears on the surface an unlikely candidate to carry on the blues tradition of Memphis Minnie and Bessie Smith. Yet Boyes' take on old-style songs like "Pigmeat Lover" and "Celebrate The Curves" evokes the genre's glorious past as well as anyone in recent memory.