I'm Every Woman

Rory Block

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 8, 2002)
• Original Release Date: January 2002
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Rounder / Umgd
• ASIN: B00005NHJU
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #176,566 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Talk about your odd left turns. Rory Block, mainly known in the blues world for her acoustic Delta stylings, doesn't quite plug in her guitar for I'm Every Woman (yes, the title track is a cover of the Whitney Houston tune), but there are some electric instruments in there, right enough. Perhaps not content with sticking to the Delta, Block wanders further afield than usual with this CD, exploring gospel, R&B, and folk territory. For her backing band, Block has a host of guest stars that would do anyone proud: Pacific Northwestern folk-bluesman Kelly Joe Phelps, Piedmont mainstays Paul Rishell and Annie Raines, contemporary blues star Keb' Mo', Saffire's Gaye Adegbalola, and Block's own son Jordan are among those Block duets with, to excellent results. This release will certainly surprise Block's fans--especially the Whitney Houston cover--but her talent, sincerity, and heartfelt expressiveness carry the day. --Genevieve Williams

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rory Revisited, September 27, 2001

By	TJ (Marietta, GA USA) - See all my reviews

I've been a Rory Block fan for years. I saw her live in an intimate setting on Beale Street, and I thought I knew her style...until now. This new CD is awesome. The addition of electric guitars only serves to enhance her talent. Her rendition of "So Tired of Being Alone" is second to none. This CD proves what I've believed for years: a truly talented artist refuses to be confined to a particular genre, but can adapt anything to his or her own unique style, and make it wonderful in the process.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What a voice!! and guitar too, December 3, 2003

By	Mitchell Lopate (Eureka, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Praise the heavens, this woman can soar with a vocal range that must hit at least seven octaves-and she can unleash a blues explosion on acoustic guitar with a slide for the fuse. The title song has enough shakin' and bakin' to burn those extra calories, but it's her stunning voice that gives you a workout through a firewalk on 2000-degree coals with blistering gospel numbers like "Ain't No Grave Can Hold My Body Down." Love has found a maiden as strong as steel when someone has to take a stand and be the backbone of R&B tradition, or as delicate as silk when Rory's got the testifying need to be "Talkin' `Bout My Man."

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rory Block hits the soul train with cover songs/genre album, February 19, 2004

By	Daniel J. Hamlow (Narita, Japan) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Rory Block is well known as an interpreter of electrified country blues but here, she took a detour in doing soul covers, which may have irritated her core fans. On the other hand, maybe a change in style is as good as a rest, provided it's well-performed. The guitar ditties that introduce and close the album is the only semblance of her usual style.

The title track of this album is a cover of Chaka Khan's hit song. The present of disco synths and thumping drums along with her acoustic slide guitar is quite a change from what one expects, but it's still good, as it doesn't trash the original.

Then comes Curtis Mayfield's "Fool For You" shows she can handle soul music with equal aplomb thanks to the female backing chorus.

"Sea Lion Woman" is an example of a capella chant, and one of the few traditional songs she performs. Another is the stark a capella "Ain't No Grave Can Hold My Body Down" which was recorded at a church in New York and sports some gospel backup singers. Block's voice retains its hardy power even in her upper soulful ranges.

She does Al Green's "Tired Of Being Alone" with the horns duplicating 70's soul stylings. One of my favourites here is her cover of the smooth and laid back "Love TKO" by Womack and Womack.

Her rendition of the traditional song "Rock Island Line" popularized by Leadbelly. The instrumentation is clapping and harmonica, with vocals shared with Paul Rishell and Annie Raines.

Block wrote the romantic "Talkin' 'Bout My Man" which is a nod to gospel-tinged soul, with a piano arrangement and backing singers that gives it a 70's flavour. Another standout track. The good feelings continue with disco-soul flavourings when she and Keb' Mo' duet on Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrelle's "Ain't Nothin' Like The Real Thing."

"Hold On/Change Is Coming" has an introductory speech from Reverend Herb Sheldon before Block launches into the Sounds of Blackness number. And she gets good marks on Ann Peebles' "I Feel Like Breaking Up Somebody's Home" which does have blues stylings that make her feel at home. Jeff Mironov's electric guitars gives that bluesy tinge to the song.

A combination cover songs album and genre album, in this case 70's soul and a capella gospel, Block acquits herself easily enough. On her next album, Last Fair Deal, she would return to her usual style.