Neo-Classic Blues

Gaye Adegbalola, Gaye Adegbalola with Roddy Barnes | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 13, 2004)
• Original Release Date: May 13, 2004
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Hot Toddy Music
• ASIN: B0002KQOVM
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #114,886 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

2. Pigmeat on the Line

3. Crazy Blues

4. Yonder Come the Blues

5. The Dirty Dozens

6. Prove It On Me Blues

7. It's Alright for a Man to Cry

8. See See Rider Blues

9. Twisted Mind Blues

10. Black Eyed Blues

11. Up the Country Blues

12. I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good

13. Careless Love Blues

14. Down Hearted Blues

15. Nothing in Rambling

16. Sloppy Drunk

17. How Can I Say I Miss You?

18. BD Woman's Blues

19. Nobody Knows the Way I Feel This Morning

20. Summer Sky

Editorial Reviews

From the Artist

Inspired by the glaring omission of blueswomen from Martin Scorcese’s (Fall ‘03) PBS series "The Blues", Gaye dedicated her efforts to help fill this void by producing "Neo-Classic Blues". So it is that Adegbalola & Barnes pay homage to the classic divas of yesteryear in song and accompanying historical notes on the insert. They have been inspired by and are thankful to:

THE CLASSIC BLUES DIVAS like Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Alberta Hunter, Ida Cox, Lucille Bogan, Sippie Wallace, Victoria Spivey, and many others;

THE CLASSIC BLUES PIANISTS like Perry Bradford, Walter Roland, Lovie Austin, Georgia Tom Dorsey, Clarence Williams, and many others;

THE CLASSIC BLUES HISTORIANS like Rosetta Reitz, Daphne Duval Harrison, Chris Albertson, Sandra Lieb, Angela Davis, and many others.

Product Description

CLASSIC BLUES was the first blues ~ the first blues to be recorded for popular consumption. It was immensely popular in the 1920s. Grounded in folk blues combined with vaudeville stylings, it was almost exclusively performed by women. These were often fiercely independent "wild women" ~ unashamed to lay their souls bare, unafraid to give advice. Oftimes they were the comediennes, finding humor in the pain.

CLASSIC BLUES WOMEN were the first to chronicle topics like domestic abuse, alcoholism, prostitution, homosexuality, gender politics, racism and other social conditions, and, of course, sex ~ its joy and its pain. Musically, these women introduced vocal techniques that gave drama and immediacy to their performances. They would cry, growl, moan, syncopate, slide & slur, bend & break notes, improvise and rephrase to bring their stories to life.

In 2004, Adegbalola & Barnes embrace and redefine this style as NEO-CLASSIC BLUES ...

See all Editorial Reviews

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible music, incredible blues, July 3, 2005

By 

Corkie "Corkie" (Arizona) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Neo-Classic Blues (Audio CD)

Worthy tribute to women in the blues. Somehow Gaye captures that old time blues today. The piano artistry of Roddy Barnes is amazing. Together they have created something about the blues that is immediate yet classical. Selecting a favorite is virtually impossible. This CD should be at the top of the list.