Kara Grainger – That’s How I Got To Memphis
Instead of bombastic, raw & gritty blues, this showcase is sensuous & steamy, with B.B. King qualities, & imaginative “Soul Finger” type-horns. Australian-born & Nashville-based blues vet Kara Grainger’s blues projection is like a high plains breeze; her voice is instinctually humid & refined. The band’s smoked-out rhythms support her with distinction & it’s particularly sculptured on “Texas Blues” & “That’s How I Got To Memphis.”
The blues is often a simple repetitive tune with more toe-tapping qualities than melody, but Kara fleshes out well-accomplished melodies. With the addition of the tight backup vocals, the tunes become stimulating additives to the ears that take a highway to the hips, down through the legs, south to the feet. Elvis Presley once said, “Rhythm is something you either have or don’t have, but when you have it, you have it all over.”
Produced by Lawrence Mitchell, the 9 cuts of That’s How I Got To Memphis (Drops Oct 3/Station House/Red Parlor Records/36:14) were recorded in Memphis, & Nashville. Kara’s blues are smooth pieces delivered with power & finesse. But “Mama Said” is more charcoal-voiced, authoritative & exuberant Bessie Smith style. The entertainment value ala Janis Joplin isn’t as evident, but there’s fortification similar to blues singer Karen Lawrence. The charges she sets off, you must be born with.
Her voice has the range of Karen Lawrence (1994’s “Bring It Home” & “Once Again,” Blue By Nature) with the deep end of a Genya Ravan (“Morning Much Better”). What Kara possesses is a fine understanding of intonation, phrasing & inflection. She picks & chooses the words that require punch. The band’s superb & surrounds her with musical proficiency & muscle. Many musicians play well but lack style. That’s not an issue here.
There’s little that hasn’t been done before. But what sets Kara (guitar/vocals) apart from a howler & gritty vocalist (Brenda Patterson/Karen Dalton) is her effortless wickedness in how she pronounces certain lyrics (“Love Played A Game”). She isn’t following the groove; the groove follows her. The horns frame her voice with blasts as the guitar fingers along with pastel notes rather than flash. Nice touch.
Besides, who uses cello, violin & viola in the blues? You have to respect those cogliones. This is an impeccably produced set with superior accompaniment. They must disconnect the fire sprinklers in clubs when these people play.
Handsome & classy 6-panel with Drew Fleming photos.
Highlights – “Texas Blues,” “That’s How I Got To Memphis,” “Mama Said,” “Love Played A Game,” “Doodle Loop (World Is a Little Bit Under the Weather),” & “Lessons.”
Musicians – Rev. Charles Hodges (Hammond organ), Leroy Hodges (bass), Archie Turner (Wurlitzer), Lina Beach (rhythm guitar), Candise Marshall, Jackie Bristow, Louis Grainger, Shontelle & Sharisse Norman (bgv), Marc Franklin (trumpet), Kirk Smothers (baritone sax), Lannie McMillan (tenor sax), Bobby Chase (violin/viola) & Alex Krew (cello).
Cover image courtesy of Michael Weintrob Photography. CD @ Amazon & https://www.karagrainger.net/
