Customer Reviews

My Bad Luck Soul

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This new album from Janiva Magness and company is great! Following up their excellent "It Takes One to Know One' album, Magness and Jeff Turmes focus here more on traditional blues material, plus a few witty Turmes originals added. The band is excellent throughout with a great feel. T-Birds guitarist Kid Ramos guests on some tracks. Janiva proves once again that she is among the very best singers in this genre. She's got a one in a million voice that's not to be missed. Totally recommended!

One could never tire of hearing Ms. Magness' fabulous voice! I was lucky enough to meet her last night before a performance at the Doll Hut in Anaheim, CA. That was not only the best show I've been to (the place is the size of a 2 car garage) but the best band I've seen live. This album, and her others, should be in everyone's collection. Ms. Magness is one of the great blues artists of all time!

Janiva is a versatile performer who switches her vocals from sultry to silky smooth, not only between songs but, often within the same tune. While her true talent is most evident when she takes charge of the vocals, she appears to be equally comfortable when backing up Jeff Turmes on the 4 tunes he takes the lead on.

The rest of the band deserves some attention as well. The lead guitar playing of Enrico Crivellaro is outstanding and the switch from Crivellaro to Kid Ramos (CD's--"West Coast House Party" and "Greasy Kid Stuff") on tracks 3, 4, and 14 are seamless. Add to the mix, the drums of Ed Mann and the pianos of Karen Hammack and Red Young and you end up with one tight rhythm section. The CD has a little something for everybody from jump to shuffle and R&B in-between. This is a solid effort by Janiva and a worthy addition to your blues collection.

Janiva Magness is a great live performer that gets in one's veins with R&B,Swing and Firery Blues. It is rare to find an artist to match that energy on record. "My Bad Luck Soul" brings out the "Bad Girl" at her best. Magness vocally goes up a notch from her first outing which is evident on the the first song, the title track. Janiva has always had the Bessie Smith control, but now adds the vocal power putting her in the same league with people like Lou Ann Barton, making her the complete singer. She also has a good band on this CD with talented players like Jeff Turmes and Kid Ramos. This is album good for home and fun auto listening. Begin here, if you're new to her.

Excellent CD. New original work by Jeff Turmes is set off by the incredible voice of Janiva Magness. Good mix of blues, ballads and sultry stuff. Great car music for a long ride. Be careful, this music gets addictive.