Customer Reviews

Joanna Connor Band

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

 

 

If you like the blues and only blues you should pass on that one. But the former blueser-bluesrocker Joanna Connor did something different for her latest release. This is rock, funk, bluesy and on all directions. But the feeling is still present. The band play tight and Joanna plays with emotion like she used to do with her blues. Yep! Different but good.

Her best CD since "Big Girl Blues". It is refreshing to hear the Blues evolve.

Someone told me Connor was like the reigning queen of electric guitar blues. I hope not. I found this album fairly un-special in almost every way. To my ears, she is an average vocalist, the guitar licks sounded just ok, if not plentiful, and the songs are pedestrian at best. What really troubled me was how herky-jerky the tunes were over all. Nothing very catchy at all, especially her self penned tunes. The syncopation or beats are all sort off, off beat, almost jazz-like. That is never a good thing for me. I don't care who says that jazz and blues are cousins, in my library jazz has no place next to my BLUES.
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It says even more that the tunes I found most accessible were her covers. I very much enjoyed WAR's "Slipping into Darkness", it was funky and loose and fun. While I can't recall any one covering "White Lines" before, and one of the last places I expected to hear an old school rap song from the 80's is on a "Blues' CD, but she pulls off a decent instrumental take on that early rap classic. Both of those covers make sense because, like I said, she delivers most every tune in a clunky, chunky, push-and-pull style that suits both those songs. The most enjoyable track was an unexpected version of SAM CO0KE'S "Somebody Have Mercy". Naturally since I enjoy R&B, SOUL, GOSPEL & Blues, that song worked for me, and her voice was well suited for this track.
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The CD ends with a couple of down-home, rootsy tracks. I guess one is supposed to be a bridge between African homeland and present day Mississippi. Maybe. Sort of a spoken word thing that was pretty weak. She closes with the really tepid ode to praise in the morning. Yuck.
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I don't know, I recall hearing a Connor live CD that was pretty good and her most recent one sounded ok, but this one was hardly worth the time, but worth criticizing, since I wrote this.

read with interest the couple of reviews regarding joanna connor .why do we bag artists that do something different .i do radio and i can assure you if every body wrote a negative review we wouldnt have a world of exciting and enterprising artists that would have a go and record something different .what is blues ,its expression ,its feeling ,and its about being oneself .quite frankly i am sick of sweet home chicargo and dust my blues .lets review positavely please .

Lets see - John Lee Hooker - dead, Muddy waters - dead, Robert Johnson - dead...in fact most of the "Old School" blues players are dead. So I guess we should just give up, right? Wrong! There are many newer artists still carrying the torch - Joanna Connor is one. Maybe its not exactly the same, but who eats the same food every day. This is more modern, better produced and has just as much feeling as the old guys. I love Deborah Coleman, Sue Foley, Debbie Davies etc..and Joanna Connor is right in the mix - still alive and kicking too, so there will be more to come

Why can't people accept that a good artist will evolve. They may not evolve into something YOU like. But, artists who are just people pleasers are worthless and a dime a dozen. It's usually people who can't create who are the biggest critics. If you don't like something or understand it, fine. Just try not to show you ignorance in your review.

There is no blues in this CD. All the songs are hard rock. So if you want blues, buy John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, or Robert Johnson, NOT Joanna Connor.

There is no blues at all in this album. She is heavy rock and not blues. If you like the blues this is a horrible album to buy.