Rory Block has a new release: Ain’t Nobody Worried: Celebrating Great Women of Song. It’s the third in her series “Powerhouse Women of the Blues.” Ain’t Nobody Worried was produced by Rory and Rob Davis for Aurora Productions.
The concept for the album is to cover songs by women on the blues edge of things — songs by Bonnie Raitt, Tracy Chapman, Elizabeth Cotton, Carole King, Etta James, Koko Taylor, the Staples Singers, Mary Wells, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Rory Block, and Martha and the Vandellas. In the liner notes, Block makes clear that these folks deserve to be celebrated and honored, and that is the motivation behind the album. As Block points out in the liner notes, these are songs written by women that changed the world.
And who doesn’t instantly start singing along to “I’ll Take You There,” the album opener, which is full of Rory Block’s growly and purring vocal punctuations. Somebody help me, let me take you there — courtesy of songwriting by and raw acoustic guitar with intermittent slide.
Depending on when you grew up, Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” might be the one to strike that chord for your heart. Or maybe it’ll be this toe-tapping version of “Dancin’ in the Streets,” which is divine. Mary Wells’ “My Guy” is light and fun. “Midnight Train to Georgia,” by Gladys Knight and the Pips plays with vicissitudes of vocal layers and honors the original. For younger folks, or for anyone who’s just curious, relish the timelessness and admire the beauty of the songs.
Get your dancing shoes on — or better yet, kick your shoes off and enjoy the celebration. The executive producer on the project was Holger Petersen. The album was recorded and mixed by Rob Davis, of Kentucky Studios in Sandy Hook, KY; and mastered by Toby Mountain, Northeastern Digital.
All guitar parts, slide, bass (played on guitar), and vocals on the entire album are performed by Rory Block, in addition to percussion and drum programming.
Find the music and more info here: https://www.roryblock.com