Customer Reviews

Meet Me at Midnite

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
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Shout Factory's re-release of this 1994 set by Maria Muldaur is greatly welcomed. Among a consistently strong string of recent recordings, "Meet Me At Midnite" is one of Muldaur's strongest sets. Allen Toussaint's "Trouble With My Lover" that opens the disc rocks with a slow midtempo groove and never lets go. Rick Vito's guitar on the title track that he penned unleashes some tasty electric guitar lashing while Muldaur's sultry alto seduces playfully. Rory Block's "Send the Man Back Home" is another soulful bounce & roll track with Ann Peebles & Tracy Nelson contributing strong backing vocals. "Power in Music" is another amazing track where Maria rocks like a Delbert McClinton soulmate with Jon Woodhead doing a tasty electric guitar solo & Joe Sublett blowing off the roof with tenor sax. On Tracy Nelson's gorgeous "Down So Low" that Linda Ronstadt did on her "Hasten Down the Wind" album in 1976, Maria takes the lid off the blues and burns mournfully. On "Woman's Lament" Muldaur does the track with voice only in a gutsy rendition of this traditional tune. Marty Grebb who I remember as one of the original members of the Buckinghams plunks out the piano part on "Mississippi Muddy Water" that he penned for the album closer. "Meet Me At Midnight" is a set that wears extremely well & is one of Maria's strongest sets. Enjoy!

I'd give this CD 10 stars if I could. I've been a fan of Maria Muldaur since her debut album, but this one is probably my favorite. Some singers' voices fade; some just grow richer, and the latter is the case with Ms. Muldaur. This might be her most powerfully soulful, bluesy release.

Amazon's track list is showing the songwriters along with the tracks, as if the writers perform on the songs. That's the case sometimes, but not always.

The band in general is:
Drums and percussion - Tony Braunagel
Guitar - Johnny Lee Schell on all except tracks 9-11; Jon Woodhead on tracks 5, 7 & 10; Rick Vito on tracks 2, 6 & 10; John Porter on tracks 1 & 9 (Porter also plays dobro on track 12)
Bass - James "Hutch" Hutchinson on all except tracks 3, 6 & 11; Larry Fulcher on tracks 3 & 6
Piano - Marty Grebb on tracks 2, 3, 5, 7, 8 & 12; Bill Payne on tracks 1, 4 & 9
Organ - Marty Grebb on tracks 4, 6 & 10; Bill Payne on tracks 5 & 7; Tommy Eyre on tracks 2 & 9
Accordion - Marty Grebb
Baritone sax - Marty Grebb
Tenor sax - Marty Grebb does the solo on track 5; otherwise, Joe Sublett
Trumpet - Darrel Leonard

Backup singers on tracks 5, 7 & 12 are Charles Lovett, Danny Gerrard, Dexter Dickerson, Mike Finnegan, Shaun Murphy, Diane Woods Carter, and Rugenia Faith Taylor; the latter two also sing on track 6, along with Vaneta Thompson
The incomparable Ann Peebles, Tracy Nelson, Don Bryant, and Becky Russell sing backup on tracks 1, 3, 4, & 9.

Produced by John Porter.

The artist has a unique style. Her music combines blues and jazz with a definit New Orleans origin. Don't miss giving her music a try if you have not already done so.

This is a phenomenal album by a phenomenal artist. Maria Muldaur appears to be one if the most under rated soul and blues singers in music today. When we have shows like American Idol and The Voice trying to find tomorrow's stars, there are a few under appreciated artists like Maria Muldaur right under our noses, singing with soul, emotion, and conviction.Glad I tried this one.