Those looking for
blues,
R&B, rootsy
rock & roll,
gospel-tinged
ballads,
loungy supper club
jazz, and
boogie-woogie piano pounding all led by an instantly recognizable powerhouse voice infused with gritty
soul will rejoice with
Marcia Ball. Although this is only her sixth album since her career shifted into high gear with 1984's
Soulful Dress,
Ball hits all those bases and more on her debut for
Alligator. She's as comfortable with heart-wrenching lost-love songs like this album's touching
"Let the Tears Roll Down" as with loose-limbed swampy piano/accordion-powered rockers such as
"Louella." Her show-stopping piano virtuosity takes a back seat for the majority of this release, as
Ball turns up the tough
R&B heat on a cover of
"Fly on the Wall" with guests
Sonny Landreth on slide guitar and backing singers right out of
Aretha Franklin's '60s heyday. Horns also play a large part, underpinning the
Bobby "Blue" Bland-styled Crescent City
soul-blues and rolling
Fats Domino piano of
Don Covay's
"I'm Coming Down With the Blues." The opening
"Scene of the Crime," powered by
Gary Primich's plucky harmonica, is one of
Ball's best tracks, with a snappy melody, gutsy singing, and Southern-fried
R&B attack.
Allen Toussaint's
"You Make It Hard" finds fellow Texan
Delbert McClinton on duet vocals highlighting the track's urging slow groove. Classy and subdued yet bubbling with passion, emotion, and a love of Southern-style music that explodes out of every track, with
Presumed Innocent Marcia Ball has released what is arguably the finest and most inspired album of her career. ~ Hal Horowitz
