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Live
at Blues Alley CD reviews
BLUES
MATTERS (United Kingdom)
April/May
2006; by
Michael Mee
If
Melanie Mason had leant against the door frame of the Blues Alley, crooked
her finger, winked her eye and thrown back her ginger curls she could not
have made a more irresistible invitation than "Crave," the
opening track of her live CD. Hot, sultry and sexy, its heat is lowered
only by the slightly proper 'thank you' at the end, if Mason wasn't
breathless at the finish, the audience must have been. The 14 tracks on Live
At Blues Alley are split between six originals, seven covers and one
hybrid "Born In The Country," lyrics traditional, music Melanie
Mason.
As
is usual with artists of this caliber, her own songs fit far more snugly
than someone else's. The aforementioned "Crave" and
"Mississippi Blues," are a natural product of her own
sensuality, while the cover Sonny Thompson's "I'm Tore Down"
feels like it’s simply a performance. The heart that beats in her own
music doesn't pump quite so strongly in the covers. However, even they are
strengthened by the tightness of Mason, El Torro Gamble on drums, Sam
Goodall on bass and Tommy Lepson on organ. On "I'm In The Mood,"
they trust each other's abilities completely and the result is stunning.
Melanie
Mason is no slouch on lead guitar and the album is studded with magical
moments, most notably on her "Love's Slow Burn," a song so heavy
with atmosphere it comes with its own weather warning. As the album and
the gig progresses, Mason and the band fall back on some old favourites,
Hendrix's "Castles Made Of Sand" and Robert Johnson's
"Crossroads" both make an appearance and neither is done a
disservice. The slightly strange selection is U2's "When Love Comes
To Town," strange only because it's rare, but Mason and the band let
rip and manage to wring the song dry. Fittingly, the album finishes as it
began, with a fabulous Melanie Mason original, "Gospel By The
River."
BLUES REVUE MAGAZINE
Oct/Nov
2005; by Eric Thom
Melanie
Mason doesn’t stake her claim on her sultry looks; instead, she puts her
sturdy guitar and vocals front and center. On her latest album, Live at
Blues Alley, she also shows she knows how to work a hook in her favor:
Tracks such as “Work Your Magic” do their stuff simply and
effectively, and “Crave,” with Mason’s breathy vocal, is a radio
single waiting to happen. Not shy about big covers, she tackles John Lee
Hooker’s “I’m in the Mood,” cranking her feminine wiles to the max
to make it her own. Elsewhere she bites off “Thrill Is Gone,”
Hendrix’s “Castles Made of Sand,”
Robert Johnson’s “Crossroads,” and U2’s “When Love Comes to
Town.”
There’s a Southern sound here, and a potent link to the Delta. Inhibited
Mason is not: Her guitar work on “Thrill,” “Castles,” and
(especially) “Before You Accuse Me,” where organist Tommy Lepson leaps
to the fore on vocals, is eye-opening. And Mason can unleash absolutely
monster axe when she needs to, as “Love’s Slow Burn,” minus the
subtleties, demonstrates. She seems to shine brightest on her own
compositions, such as “Gospel by the River,” where her attack recalls
Robert Cray even as her vocals cook up something uniquely hers.
Mason’s band–Lepson on organ and vocals, Sam Goodall on bass, and
ElTorro Gamble on drums–hits a deeper groove with another original,
“Mississippi Blues.” Here, Lepson provides a thick, solid base of B-3
upon which the bandleader addresses her stinging slide...Keep your eye on this lady. You can’t help but root for
her.
ELMORE MAGAZINE
June
2005; by Tom Clarke
Melanie
Mason was driven to the blues pretty early on. “I think it was two songs
that did it for me,” she confesses. “I was 12 when my mom brought out
her collection of 45s and 33s. When I heard ‘Nutbush City Limits’ by
Ike and Tina Turner and ‘Come Together’ by the Beatles, I was knocked
out by the bluesy grooves.” Not a bad combo to jumpstart a passion.
Currently
a hot property in the Washington
,
D.C.
area, Mason’s passion has turned into a mission with huge promise. Late
in 2004 she followed her band’s ‘01 debut with Lonesome Is I, a
solo acoustic outing that contains brilliant renditions of Mississippi
John Hurt, Robert Johnson, and the like, and is fortified with a couple of
her own songs that blend in rightly. Now she’s chased that album fast
with Live at Blues Alley, which presents Mason, bassist Sam Goodall,
drummer ElTorro Gamble and organist Tommy Lepson throwin’ it down on
June 1st, 2004 at a hometown jazz supper club purported to be the oldest
in the U.S.A.
Both
albums bring into sharp focus the two blue sides this fiery redhead has
honed to near perfection. The grooves Mason says she loved at age 12
promptly made her forget her piano lessons back then and had her begging
for a guitar. Good thing, because she’s become a great player. “I
began to play…every day, all day” she recalls, and “listened to the
albums I discovered as I traced the roots of the blues.” Many of the
tunes she studied show up on these two new albums, graced by Mason’s
pretty voice and eloquent and impeccable guitar playing.
Sit
in judgment of the notes she plays over the quiet pulse in Mance
Lipscomb’s “Joe Turner Killed a Man,” on the acoustic disc, and know
right away she has a special way. Listen to Johnson’s “Sweet Home
Chicago” and hear chugging chords, distorted pulls, and a pristine
rhythm arranged with imagination, but with plenty of reverence, too. In
fact, one of Mason’s finest gifts is her ability to convey oft-covered
gems lovingly and with enough new twist as to make ‘em irresistible all
over again.
On
Live…, the band digs into “Crossroads” while Mason plucks
rubbery grooves and picks tight, tinny notes. It’s a unique
interpretation to be sure, the audience left with no choice but to eat it
up. Launching next into U2’s “When Love Comes to Town,” Mason
plays a series of figures that carry the melody deep inside but don’t
reveal it right away. She and the band carve one hell of a scar in the air
with this one. The set-opener, a near-menacing original called
“Crave,” is one of her own finest, notable for its feisty words as
well as a gritty performance.
This
lady can write. And she’s on her way. “I hear something in blues
music–especially guitar blues–that really captivates me and takes me
to another place,” she says. Her recent two records have that exact
effect.
CHESAPEAKE MUSIC
GUIDE
May
2005; by Michael Macey
When you listen to Live At Blues Alley, you hear Melanie Mason in
her element. Already established as one of the areas best blues writers
and players, her strong suit is her live shows and this record catches
Mason at her best. Offering up a mix of originals and classic tunes, Live
at Blues Alley is one of the best sounding live records I’ve heard
in a long time. It captures all the subtle tones of Mason’s guitar work
as well as the intensity that happens during an inspired live performance.
Backed
by Tommy Lepson, Sam Goodall and ElTorro Gamble, Mason and company bring a
new energy to songs that have been around as long as the blues itself. Her
take on Robert Johnson’s "Crossroads" is totally original and
proves Mason to be one of the best interpreters of the blues around.
She’s no slouch in the songwriting department either, her grasp and love
of the blues is evident both musically and lyrically in her originals. A
perfect example is her "Lonely Lonesome Gal," a timeless
sounding tune that stands it’s own with the other material she’s
chosen to cover.
On
a more modern note, Mason covers Jimi Hendrix‘s "Castles Made Of
Sand" and U2’s "When Love Comes To Town." The former is
pretty much a faithful rendition; the latter, Mason and the band rock out
and make the song their own. For those of you unfamiliar with the work of
Melanie Mason, Live At Blues Alley is the place to start. Energetic
renditions of blues classics coupled with first rate original material
makes this the perfect introduction to a lady who can really play the
blues. For the informed, it’s Mason doing what she does best. Bridging
the gap between what was and what is with style and grace, while staying
faithful to the genre she loves.
SILVER
SPRING / TAKOMA PARK VOICE
December
2005; by
Carolyn Feola
Melanie
breaks with blues tradition simply by being a woman, but as any savvy gal
knows, this man’s world is hers for the taking. Slide slowly, whisper
softly, and you’ll have them hanging on every word. And so Miss Melanie
carves her place in D.C. music history with a preserved performance at the
legendary Blues Alley. Her singular voice and hangin’-with-the-best
blues guitar are in fine form, as expected, but she does include some
surprises. A duet with Tommy Lepson on “Before You Accuse Me” is a fun
romp, and Hendrix fans will be pleased to meet her version of “Castles
Made of Sand.”
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