Number 23

In the boys club known as "the blues" women tend to be overlooked or dismissed, a situation that needs to be challenged and addressed if we want to see it change. Hey, I confess to being one of the worst offenders, at least with White women vocalists, simply because (justification #1) far too many female blues artists tend to be Janis Joplin clones and I view Joplin as a poor Etta James imitator and a poor vocalist; "shrieking the blues" just leaves me cold (I can already see the nasty emails!) And very few women seem to get beyond Joplin or Koko Taylor ("growling the blues") as influences and really develop their vocal skills.

It's a fact. So justifying complete, let's move on to the disc at hand. The first clue I had that this artist may be an exception to the rule came when I saw that the supporting crew included West Coast all-stars such as Johnny Ace (our pick as Top West Coast Bassist), Steve Freund (a transplanted Chicago veteran and a classy guy) Tommy Castro (killer performer/guitarist), Rusty Zinn (ditto) and David Maxwell (ex-Freddie King). Now, I knew that if these guys were involved in a project, that it'd have to be for/with someone worthwhile, plus you can't put these folks together and not have at least a downright nasty session. That being said, Lemons was still a mystery to me as a person and as a blues vocalist but she says something on the CD liner notes that is very revealing as to her mindset/philosophy on singin' the blues. Quoted verbatim, "I know what it means to be poor, to be out on the street, hungry and without a friend or a dime and blues for me is a fight back from all that. I just can't let it get me down. I am going to raise my fist and make some noise about what it means to be human in a world gone cold. When I sing the blues, I sing about MY life. I feel better for it every time." Wow! Right on! So moving and so simple, yet profound. You've got to love an outlook/attitude like that! Blues is a healer, blues is truth, blues can connect you with your own feelings as well as with those of others . So after reading that, I just had to throw my prejudices out the window and listen to this woman with an open heart, mind and ears, and she is an exceptional singer/artist with something special to say. She sings, yes, SINGS (!) and she does so with conviction and feeling, so all my worries and fears were unfounded (proof that prejudging sets you up for a fall). Possibly because of the musician's love and respect for Cathy, they all contribute awesome performances on every track. 14 tunes in total. 5 originals and 9 covers all recorded at The Saloon in San Francisco. Stand out cuts include Laura Lee's classic "Dirty Man," the B.B. King 1950's number "Worry, Worry" complete with Otis Spann-style piano from Maxwell, the rocking' original "Sayin' It Plain" (Freund shows off his chops) and the title track "Dark Road," which features pretty vocals and deft picking (again by Steve Freund). So, all in all, Cathy Lemons proves to be a fine blues artist with this release and "Dark Road" scores big on several key points; exceptional musician- ship/contributions from an all-star supporting cast, plus great sound and production. 4 bottles for a fine piece of work from a blues singer we'll no doubt be hearing much more from. As Little Richard would say "She's got it!"

--Andy "Blues Boy" Grigg