Fiona Boyes
Blues Woman
Yellow Dog Records
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Fiona Boyes has
enjoyed a strong measure of success over the past
few years. Her 2006 release, Lucky 13, was
nominated for a Blues Music Award for “Contemporary
Blues Album of the Year” in 2007, then she received
a nomination for “Contemporary Female Artist of the
Year” in 2008 and a nod for “Acoustic Blues Album of
the Year” the next year for Live From Bluesville,
recorded with Rich DelGrosso and Mookie Brill. The
native Australian has also become a crowd favorite
at blues festivals at many North American blues
festivals with her powerful guitar work, her
seasoned vocals, and her versatility.
Boyes’ latest release,
Blues Woman, is her second release for Yellow
Dog Records, and it features her in electric and
acoustic settings, with guest stars Marcia Ball,
Pinetop Perkins, and Watermelon Slim. Boyes wrote
most of the songs here, including the opening cut,
“Woman Ain’t a Mule,” which is an ode to female
independence. “Howlin’ At Your Door,” features that
droning hypnotic Mississippi hill country groove,
and the lusty “Got My Eye On You” has a Chicago
flavor, with Boyes providing some stinging guitar
fills reminiscent of Otis Rush as well as some
impressive slide guitar, and “Do You Feel Better” is
a slice of Memphis soul.
“The Barrelhouse
Funeral” is based on a true story and features the
irrepressible Watermelon Slim livening up things
with his harmonica and his narrative as the
“Preacher.” The acoustic “Place of Milk and Honey”
sounds like vintage Fred McDowell with more great
slide guitar. Another acoustic track, “Juke Joint on
Moses Lane,” also features a fine performance, this
time on resonator guitar, and the closing track,
“Old Time Ways,” features the ageless Pinetop
Perkins on piano.
There are also two
covers on the disc; J. B. Lenoir’s “I Want To Go” is
transformed into a lively acoustic boogie track from
its sober original version, and fellow Australian
blues musician Chris Wilson’s “Look Out Love!” is an
appealing shuffle that features Slim on dobro.
Recorded in Austin,
Blues Woman also features Derek O’Brien on
guitar, Jimi Bott on drums, Nick Connolly on piano
and B-3, and Ronnie James on upright bass, and Al
Gomez on trumpet. The last three years should have
proved without a doubt that Fiona Boyes is a force
to be reckoned with in the blues world, but her
latest release should remove any lingering doubts.
--- Graham Clarke
The next time I see Fiona Boyes I am going to
have to thank her for shaking the rust off of my
listening ears. So many of the records that come
across my desk for review are formulaic in nature
and Fi’s newest release on Yellow Dog Records,
Blues Woman, is definitely not that. Surrounded
by some of the best players Austin, Texas has to
offer, Fiona takes us on a musical journey through a
number of tunes that more than substantiate that she
truly is a “blues woman”. So let’s get to it.
“Woman Ain’t a Mule” offers its discourse on the
relationship between a man and a woman. In this case
an old lover of Fi’s loved her more for the work she
would do than the woman she was. “One day…I said
hey…I ain’t nothing but this man’s mule…and the way
that I’m letting him do me…I ain’t nothing but a
doggone fool…a woman ain’t a mule.” This man is
history and Fiona has moved on to bigger and better
pastures. The pasture involves her husband, Steve, a
man we all affectionately call “the Preacher.”
Our next song, “Howling at Your Door,” is based on
an early love letter Fiona received from Steve.
Heavily influenced by the Hill Country style of
Robert Balfour, Fiona’s dark lyrics have her
knocking at Steve’s door. “Well I want you
baby….Lord, I want some sugar too…I’m howling at the
moon, baby…howling out for you!” The rest is history
and that’s all I’d better say here! “I Want to Go”
is Fiona’s version of the JB Lenoir classic song.
“Hey there little old boy…sit down on my knee…well,
I’ve got something to tell you…how you’ve been
sending me…and it makes me want to go!” Accompanied
by Ronnie James on bass with Jimi Bott playing
bongos and a plastic garbage can, this tune is
definitely indicative of Fiona’s eclectic style of
blues.
Our next song, “Last Train to Hopesville,” features
Marcia Ball on the piano as Fiona looks ahead to
better days. “I know you’ve got your troubles…Lord,
and I got mine…but can’t you hear the whistle…its
blowing on down the line…its saying brothers and
sisters, everything going to be all right.” The
future’s bright and the right thing to do is to look
ahead to better days. Fellow Aussie, Chris Wilson,
is the writer of Fiona’s next tune, “Look Out Love.”
Watermelon Slim adds his dobro to this tune as Fiona
is hot on the trail of her next love. “Look out
love…I’m going to get you….look out love, I’m on
your tail…love I wish I’d never met you…going to
spread some salt on your tail…its open season on
better things…look out love!” Kaz Kazanoff produced
this record for Fiona and lends his baritone sax to
Fiona’s musings on the man she’s checking out in
“Got My Eye on You.” “Seeing is believing…believe I
got my eye on you.”
Fiona openly admits she’s not good dealing with
conflict in her liner notes and those feelings form
the foundation for her next tune, “Do You Feel
Better.” “It takes two to make a heart break…just
like it takes two to make it right…its all about an
eye for an eye…a tooth for a tooth…I’m doing my best
to try and understand…believe me, that’s the truth.”
Derek O’Brien lends a beautiful guitar solo to this
tune to go with Kaz’s tenor sax solo and hopefully
all will end well for Fiona.
Probably the cleverest tune on the entire record is
the rowdy “The Barrelhouse Funeral.” Opening with
Watermelon Slim as the preacher delivering remarks
is a brilliant idea, and this tune sparkles from
beginning to end. “Well the ramblers, the gamblers
and the fornicators…they took exception to what was
said…oh, they quit praying right away for the living
and the dead…grabbed the preacher…hit him upside the
head…and told him to turn the other cheek!” Very
well done, "The Barrelhouse Funeral" is a classic
Fiona tune.
Up next is “Place of Milk and Honey,” a tune
dedicated to the influences of Mississippi Fred
McDowell. Jimi Bott’s washboard work is clearly
heard and lends a very authentic touch to Fiona’s
need to make some money to be able to head back
home. “My pocketbook…man, if I don’t make some
money…I can’t make my way back home.”
Fiona doesn't receive enough credit for her guitar
playing and you can hear why she should with her
acoustic guitar playing on this tune.
A song with old roots, “Waiting for Some Good News,”
is our next tune. Given all the turmoil in the world
we all could use some good news. “I’m checking my
mail three times a day…for something that will drive
my blues away…I’m just waiting for some good news!”
I wasn’t aware that Kaz played harmonica but his
harp work on this tune stands out as a real treat
and helps to set the mood for what hopefully will be
Fiona receiving some good news! Fiona reminds us all
that life is short and it takes work to determine
whether any kind of relationship, personal, work or
otherwise will succeed. “With stars in my eyes…while
you told me pretty lies…the way you did me ain’t the
right thing to do…so I’m thinking about my precious
time…and I don’t want you wasting any more of
mine…cause, I work too hard to let a man like
you…waste my precious time!” “Fishing Hole” is a
tune heavily influenced by Bobby Rush’s tune "Night
Fishing" and represents Fi’s take on fishing. “Let’s
go…you have a wet line…cause you’ll never find…a
fishing hole that’s better than mine!” Do you think
they caught some fish?
In “City Born Country Gal,” Fiona tells us about her
roots. “I ain’t never lived in the country…baby, I
never will…but I’m as down home baby…as a whiskey
still.” That pretty much covers Fiona. She’s as down
home a person as anyone I’ve ever met on the Blues
Highway and definitely a treat to know. There’s a
classic blues club in Tallahassee, Florida called
the Bradfordville Blues Club and our next tune,
“Juke Joint on Moses Lane,” is a tribute to it.
“Hmm…yeah…I can hear the call….and I can’t wait to
get there…my old friends hanging on the wall…going
down to Bradford…going to have myself a ball!” This
is definitely a club that Fiona has fond memories of
and one that has a steeped history in the Blues.
Blues Woman closes with the tune, “Old Time
Ways,” featuring Pinetop Perkins on piano. The
challenge for today’s Blues writers is how to
maintain the links to our Blues traditions while
developing songs that reflect our contemporary
society, a challenge that Fiona enjoys immensely.
Pinetop’s keyboard work sparkles as Fiona reflects
on the old time ways. “Make some jelly roll…baby, be
my kitchen man…fill my sugar bowl…baby, keep my
southern canned…I want some roll, baby…just like
those good old days…I’m a modern woman…but some
things never change!”
If one is judged by the company they keep, then
Fiona is in very good company on Blues Woman.
Ably produced by Kaz Kazanoff with appearances by
Pinetop Perkins, Marcia Ball, Derek O’Brien, Ronnie
James, Jimi Bott and the Reverend himself,
Watermelon Slim, Fiona has put together a very
eclectic album that does an outstanding job of
showcasing the many Blues influences that impact her
writing. This is a record you definitely have to
listen to and one that will reward you for doing so.
For those of you not familiar with Fiona, check out
her website at
www.fionaboyes.com or her label’s website,
www.yellowdogrecords.com.
Fiona and the Preacher moved back to Australia from
Portland and we don’t get to see her as often as
we’d like, so if she comes to town go see her.
You’ll be in for a rare treat.
--- Kyle Deibler