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Shirley Johnson - Blues Attack
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Shirley Johnson should not be unknown to the Italian Blues Fans as her first album “Looking for Love” was published by Appaloosa in 1996. The second one, “Killer Diller” was released under the patronage of Delmark Records, easily the most famed Blues/Jazz record label still at work, which has always been enjoying an excellent reputation. This CD is not going to betray the label’s fame. Shirley Johnson is probably not as powerful as other singers around, but she manages to impress a classy touch and tons of warmth in delivering. The result is a night vision-velvet approach to the Blues, which is surprisingly miles away from the Chicago style of which Johnson is indeed one of the queens! The numerous musicians supporting her seem to confirm the desire of shaping a product different from the distinctive Chicago standards: keyboards wizard Roosevelt Purifoy is the master of ceremony and carefully avoids that guitars and reeds prevail on the general sound balance though, at the end of the day, the most convincing songs are exactly those where sax and trumpet jump in with great lyricism, as it happens in “Take Your Foot off my Back”, “634-5789”, “Blues Attack” and other terrific songs like the ballad “You shouldn’t have been there”. All this machinery weakens in facing “Unchain my Heart”, one of the most difficult Soul songs ever. We can’t have everything. Yet, “Blues Attack” will be remembered as another outstanding product in the best Delmark’ tradition. Luca Lupoli
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