Eliza Neals – Breaking and Entering | Album Review

Eliza Neals – Breaking and Entering | Album Review

Self Release

www.elizaneals.com

12 tracks / 51:08

Sometimes a new album gets misplaced on my desk, and it takes me way too long to get around to reviewing it. This happened with Eliza Neals’ Breaking and Entering, which is a damned shame as this Detroit diva really delivers the goods with this disc of hard-hitting original blues-rock.

Eliza has all the right pieces for success. Her voice which is often compared to Janis Joplin, but I disagree and assert that she has found her own sound and a style that takes the phrase “high energy” to new levels. Her passion and power are so intense that it would be hard for you to find her equal. She is also an incredible songwriter who has managed to earn both the rock and blues songwriting awards from the Detroit Blues Society. Neals wrote eleven of the twelve songs on this release, with co-writing credit for some of the tunes going out to fellow Detroit blues hero Howard Glazer, who brought his axes into the studio for this project.

Eliza kicks off the set with “Detroit Drive” which features Glazer on the Dobro and Erik Maluchnik pounding out the beat on the kick drum. Neals shows a lot of versatility here as she is able to take the vocals from soft to loud at will, while maintaining an edge throughout. This basic acoustic blues provides a cool contrast with the heavy electric blues-rock that is found through much of this record.

This is followed up by the title track, which is the standout song from this disc. “Breaking and Entering” is seven minutes of guitar-fueled awesomeness, and Eliza howls the lyrics with her amazing vocal skills. Paul Randolph on bass and Tim Grogan behind the drum kit hold down the backline on this 1970s AOR epic piece of pychedelia. Glazer and Neals battle it out for who gets to be in the foreground of the sonic stage, and this contest ends up as a draw.

The sole cover is “Sugar Daddy,” a sweet piece of northern soul that was written by fellow Detroiter Barrett Strong. Neals pulls off a more than respectable smooth Motown sound, accompanied by backing vocals from Lizz Kristi, a heavy lead guitar from Shane Visbal, and B3 from Tyrone Smith. This song is completely different than everything else on Breaking and Entering, and it provides for an interesting break.

The album finishes off with a radio edit of “Breaking and Entering” (with a more accessible 4 ½ minute run time), but the real end of the set is “Spinning.” This slowly grinding song uses Glazer’s heavily distorted guitar for the introduction then Eliza tears into the lyrics with a few layers of her distinctive voice. This bare-bones guitar and voice is really the essence of what Neals is all about – in the end it all comes down to the song, doesn't it?

Breaking and Entering is a fabulous effort from Eliza Neals, as it is well-performed and there is not a bad song to be found. She brought a great group of musicians together in the studio (14 in all), and they pulled off a lot of magic with their hard work. Check it out for yourself, and do not make the mistake of misplacing this disc!

Howard Glazer – Looking in the Mirror |Album Review

Howard Glazer – Looking in the Mirror | Album Review

Self-release through Lazy Brothers Records

www.howardglazer.com

12 tracks / 58:47

There is a lot of soul in Detroit, a city that has a hard time over the past few years, but Howard Glazer is a great representative of the Motor City as is passionate for the city as he plays his own brand blues. His efforts have been noticed and he is certainly appreciated in his homeland, having been inducted into the Michigan Blues Hall of Fame and earning the 2014 Outstanding Blues/R&B Instrumentalist at the Detroit Music Awards.

Howard’s sixth solo album, Looking in the Mirror, is a wonderful blend of blues, funk, psychedelic rock, and swamp rock. He handles the guitars and vocals, and is joined by a capable crew that includes Chris Brown on bass and Charles David Stuart behind the drum kit, with additional vocals from Maggie McCabe and Stephanie Johnson. After cranking it up, you will find an hour of quality music with twelve original tracks written by Glazer, and not a cover song in sight.

The CD kicks off with the bawdy “Midnight Postman,” a rhythm and blues song with a healthy injection of funk and some fabulous B-3 work from featured artist Larry Marek. Glazer has the guitar chores nailed with his intuitive feel for the fretboard, and the ladies do a marvelous job of backing up his tenor vocals as he throws double-entendres out like a madman.

As you get deeper into it you will find that this album keeps things lively, and a great example of this is “All I Ever Wanted,” a refreshing blend of Creedence Clearwater-inspired swamp rock, interjected with a neat chorus featuring the ladies, not to mention a classy bass and guitar bridge. This song highlights what a terrific backline Glazer has found with Brown and Stuart!

Howard’s thoughts never go too far from his hometown, as shown by the jaunty 12-bar shuffle, ”Walking in Detroit.” He trades off on the vocals with McCabe as they call out the finer parts of the city, with a little help from the tasty trumpet work of David Kocbus. But when this fun song is over, Glazer does not let you forget that Looking in the Mirror is a guitar-driven blues album. He viciously tears through the next tune the playlist, the slow-burning “Eviction Blues,” which could very well be the standout track of the CD.

A very close second place for best song on the album is “Feeling so Bad,” Howard’s tribute to the late Johnny Winter. Glazer brings out his resonator guitar, and his slide work is a real treat. This bare bones song provides another piece of the blues puzzle for this project, and with the rest of the instruments stripped away it is a great showcase for what this man can do with his guitar, and the effect is amazing.

The set closes out with “Emergency” and no matter what you were expecting, there was no way it could be as awesome as this song! This is an epic psychedelic swamp song with crazy wah-soaked guitar tone and some tasteful electric flute from guest artist Tom Schmaltz. You heard that right: electric flute! This is not shtick – it is a heavy song that digs into the woes of the once-proud industrial capital of the United States. This song exemplifies what Glazer has accomplished with this disc, as he pushes musical boundaries to their limits while still managing to keep things tasteful.

Looking in the Mirror is a fine album, and Howard Glazer should be proud of what he has done here -- there are not many better ways to spend an hour of your time! So, why don’t you head on over to www.howardglazer.com to check out his catalog and to find out if he has any shows coming up in your area?

Thanks for stopping by!

Blues Blast Magazine Album Review: Niecie -- Wanted Woman

Hello!

This CD review was originally published in the December 5, 2013 edition of Blues Blast Magazine. Be sure to check out the rest of the magazine at www.bluesblastmagazine.com

Niecie – Wanted Woman

Self-release through Ride the Tiger Records

www.niecie.net

10 tracks / 42:55

If you are an entertainer that is going to go by one name (like Sting, Cher or Bono), you had better have the talent to back it up, and Niecie passes this test easily. Niecie has moved all over the United States in search of the blues, and has done a marvelous job of honing her chops along the way. Originally from Detroit, she left the Motor City for Chicago, where the blues found a home in her heart. From there she tried Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Boston (home of the Berklee College of Music!), but finally settled in Nashville, arguably the songwriting capital of the US. Nashville also has the distinction of being home to some of the finest musicians and producers around, and since moving there Niecie has taken advantage of this and cut three well-received albums, the latest of which is Wanted Woman.

Wanted Woman is a slick piece of work thanks in part to producer Johnny Neel, who you may know from his work with the Allman Brothers, Gov’t Mule, and Dickey Betts. Johnny also contributed on the keyboards and Hammond B-3, as well as with his songwriting skills. Other musicians on this project include Dennis Gully on bass, Chris Anderson on guitar, and Daryl Burgess on the skins. Also chipping were Danny Hamelin and Jon Conley on the extra guitar parts and Kim Morrison on backing vocals. Oh, and Niecie on lead vocals, of course!

Not being familiar with Niecie’s previous work, I did not know what to expect so I was pleasantly surprised by how hard she can rock. There are eight original tracks on Wanted Woman, with Neel getting writing credit on all of them, and Niecie on three. The content is huge sounding blues/rock, and things get up to speed quickly as ”Traffic Light” kicks the album off on an upbeat note. This song is more rock than blues, with a classic driving bass line and heavy drums that are perfectly executed by her stellar backline. The lyrics are quite funny, and she delivers each punch line right on cue with her distinctively throaty voice.

Niecie pitched in on the writing for the title track, and it is always cool to hear people sing their own stuff because it just clicks a little better. Johnny Neel helps make the mood on the intro with subtle organ and piano, and later on the catchy chorus with its vocal harmonics makes this an easy tune to get stuck in your head. She also wrote “Typical Chick,” a fun roadhouse song with thundering drums, honkytonk piano and very tasty guitar solos.

The two cover tunes are really neat. “Crying for My Baby” is a number that was penned by Harold Burrage in 1960 for Vee-Jay Records. The simple lyrics are timeless, and Niecie belts them out with a soulful wail that does them justice. “Mother Nature” is her take on Little Milton’s often-copied song, though this one clocks in at over nine minutes thanks to some amazing work on the keys from Johnny Neel and plenty of Zeppelin-esque guitars throughout. Both of these songs work in well with the other tracks on the album, and it was wise to include them in the mix. By the way, I have added “Mother Nature” works so well that I added it into the mix of music that I listen to while I write.

Wanted Woman ends up with a testimonial, “God’s Got This,” which I have to assume is autobiographical because Niecie got writing credit for it. It has a 1970s funk feel with heavy synths, organ, popping bass and syncopated guitars galore. It is not preachy by any stretch of the imagination, but it lets you know where this lady stands, and it is always good to finish an album on a positive note.

Niecie has put in a lot of hard work since she first arrived on the Chicago scene three decades ago, and it has all paid off with her latest album, Wanted Woman. This is a great collection of well-written songs that were recorded by the best in the business, and she should be proud of what she has accomplished. I hope you get a chance to give it a listen!

Mahalo!