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May 2022

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Markey Blue - Ric Latina Project
Jumpin' The Broom

soul O sound Records

Markey Blue - Ric Latina Project

I'll start this review by saying that I absolutely love this album, Jumpin' The Broom (soul O sound Records) from Nashville-based Markey Blue - Ric Latina Project. The more I listen to it, the better it gets! I've been familiar with the name Markey Blue (real name Jeannette Markey) for quite some time and even heard her sing a few songs one evening as part of a larger ensemble that came through Phoenix, but this is the first album that's come my way. I've since downloaded another previous release to begin filling in the gaps in my Markey Blue / Ric Latina discography.

However, I was not familiar with Latina until I started spinning this disc, and that's a shame because the man is an absolute stud on guitar. His hot guitar licks perfectly complement Markey's strong and sometimes sassy vocals. The pair also collaborated on the songwriting, with all 10 cuts being Markey - Latina originals. What a great team!

Latina starts the opening cut, "Bad For Real," with snaky blues guitar, later putting on a slide for a solo. It's a mid-tempo shuffle that serves as a nice introduction to the band. "Hanging On" gives Latina a chance to get a little funky, while Markey shows off her incredible range on vocals as she very firmly tells her man that she doesn't want him around anymore, although she does admit, "...maybe I'm wrong, maybe you're right, I was too far gone to start another fight..." Just for extra effect, she holds some of the notes for a very long time.

"When It's Blue" is a soulful blues with strong horn accompaniment, highlighted by the line, "...Grass ain't always greener when it's blue ..." Latina again tears it up on slide guitar throughout "Little Betty," a song about a woman selling whatever you may want. On "Be With Me," an up-tempo funky tune with horns, Markey makes it very clear what it's going to take for a man to be with her. Latina will put you in a trance with his guitar solo on the slow, swampy blues, "Lowdown Voodoo Woman."

Up next are the two of the best songs on the disc, with Markey adding a little more sass to her voice on "You Got The Blues," asLatina throws down multiple guitar solos over top of tasteful horn accompaniment. Topping everything here is the slow snaky blues, "Right Kind Of Woman," with the horns packing a whole lot of soul into the song. Markey gives that man the blame, stating, "...I'm the right kind of woman, you're just the wrong kind of man ..." Dana Robbins is a guest here with a strong sax solo. Chris West, who actually contributes most of the horn work throughout the session, gets the sax solo on the next number, "Crying Out Loud," a mid-tempo shuffle that also gives Latina plenty of room on the stage.

Markey saves her best performance for the closing number, with her voice emitting at least a year's worth of sadness and angst. She wonders where her ex-man is that night. It's slow and soulful, a perfect vehicle for Markey to show the fantastic range in her voice, even as she's letting us know had sad she is over her lover being with someone else. She may not be as well-known as other blues singers on the "A" list, but this song alone proves that she's equally as talented, and ready to make her mark in the blues business.

Markey and Latina thank their "GoFund Me peeps" in the liner notes, so I suspect this was a totally independent production with help from their fans. Jumpin' The Broom is worth buying on its own merit, but now that we know that the band and its supporters have skin in the game, let's make sure it turns into a moneymaker for them.

--- Bill Mitchell

 

 

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