Fiona Boyes - Blues For Hard Times (2011)

Fiona Boyes can fingerpick an acoustic guitar or play an electric and front a band. She is also a robust vocalist who thrills with her soft rasps. It seems that there isn’t anything she can’t do. For these reasons each year she receives a Blues Music Award nomination.
It seems that coming from Australia didn’t hold Boyes back. Perhaps the distance served to filter out the mediocre, so that she only listened to the very best. It is there that her old band The Mojos released three albums. Boyes also has seven releases in her own name, including 2009’s Blues Woman on Memphis’s Yellow Dog Records. Five years ago she met and married her husband Steve “The Preacher” Clarke, who gave her the resonator guitar pictured on this album’s cover as a wedding present.
Boyes’ songs are about classic themes such as drinking, redemption, and lust. Usually they tell a story. Her original songs appear to be older than they actually are. Boyes possesses a special intangible “feel” for her material. She has written eleven of the songs included here, and covers five more. Among the covers are Reverend Gary Davis’ “Mean World” and JB Lenoir’s “Grandma’s Advice.” Now listen to the opening track, “Nickels and Dimes,” and you’ll see what I mean. This is country blues and Boyes is the best modern example of this tradition. Pinetop Perkins once said Boyes is “the best gal player I heard in more than 35 years.”
Producer Kaz Kazanoff has once again done a wonderful job, especially on the “flip side,” on the songs that feature a full band. Especially nice is the original “Baptized in Muddy’s Sweat.” This song is about seeing a Muddy Waters performance and it features Bob Margolin of The Muddy Waters Band on slide guitar. The album’s highlight however is “Guys Be Wise.” written by Dan Grove of Reston, Virginia. On this modern song Boyes sounds reminiscent of Ma Rainey and it features Mark Rubin on tuba and John Mills on clarinet.
Other featured musicians include Jimi Bott on drums, Nick Connolly on piano, Derek O’Brien on rhythm guitar, Frosty Smith on drums, and several bass players, including Dave Kahl, John Mazzacco, and Larry Eisenberg.
Do not be surprised if this album wins Boyes her first Blues Music Award.
(с) Richard Ludmerer is a contributing editor at BluesWax.