If you know what you want and what you can do and then do it with audible pleasure and dedication, you will automatically get a great record. Misty Blues has been doing that for years. The band from Berkshire County Massachusetts plays traditional blues and combines it with sounds from funk, soul, pop and gospel. Misty Blues' most recent album is named after one of the hallmarks of the blues: "Call & Response". Singer Gina Coleman has a contra-alto, the lowest female voice. Signature sound: dignified and expressive. Well-known counter-altos include Amy Winehouse, Cher, Annie Lennox and Diana Krall. As a singer, Coleman is inspired by greats such as Billie Holiday, Memphis Minnie, Koko Taylor, Etta James, Big Mama Thornton and Irma Thomas. She carries the band with verve and is given the opportunity to do so by her musicians who play blues "as it should": no frills. You can immediately hear this in the first song: supposedly on the street we hear a song that has been skilfully stripped: one slide and one voice. Coleman sings like Mahalia Jackson and calls on the Lord to support her. It immediately sounds surprisingly full and promises a lot of good things. As the last song the band plays Hear My Call again, but with the whole band. The sound of Misty Blues on this album is infectiously old-fashioned, especially because of the way the Fender Rhodes is used. I Ain't Yellah, is a mix of ragtime and gospel feel, with a nice groove. I ain't yellah, ain't got much green, but I sing the blues! Blues on My Heels looks a bit like Otis Blackwell's Fever here and there, but the New Orleans funk of Misty Blues turns it into a song all its own. My Babies Gone is borrowing from Fats Domino, but hey, what would it be. It sounds fine. Purdie Blues is a tribute to Bernard Purdie (drummer who was best known for his unparalleled shuffles; played on James Brown records, among others). Heaven Sent is a lived soul ballad and Just Don't Know Why is a catchy New Orleans-style rumba. One song is a bit out of place. Need More Light is an old-fashioned blues rocker, written and sung by guitarist Jason Webster. Fortunately, after that comes the full-band version of Hear My Call. Beautiful song, also in this version, which makes room for the beautiful, intriguing voice of Gina Coleman one more time.
Tracklist:
01. Hear My Call 03:35
02. I Ain’t Yellah 04:14
03. Chasing Gold 04:59
04. Blues On My Heels 04:14
05. My Baby’s Gone 03:55
06. Purdie Blues 05:26
07. Heaven Sent 05:50
08. Just Don’t Know Why 04:13
09. South Bronx Boogie 04:16
10. I Need More Light 04:36
11. Hear My Call (Alternate Version) 03:49
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