| CD REVIEW (This review was also published on www.701.com) |
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| FROM THE BEGINNING - NICOLE FOURNIER |
| Whoa! If you're not already sitting down, this 1999 SUMMY Award-winner for "Tacoma Blueswoman of the Year" (introduced to the world of professional blues by John Lee Hooker in 1992) will knock you on your ass with her equally sassy and razor-sharp vocals and guitar! The group of players she assembled for this CD - Raven Humphres on tenor sax, Dick Powell on organ and harmonica, Terry Jay on bass and Tom Murphy on drums - contribute just as much to the fantastic effort. To top it all off, it's a 100% collection of original tracks by this very talented lady, who's going to give Bonnie Raitt and Koko Taylor a run for their money as respective reigning white and black blues queens! It's a winner "from the beginning" to the end, with barrelhouse blues-rock and boogie-woogie being the dominant force throughout. With a honey-sweet voice sounding like it was dipped in gravel, I have tried to find similarities to other female vocalists but can't really find anyone who fits the bill. The CD gets off to an exciting start with "Your [sic] Sweet", a rapid-paced, saxophone-drenched, swinger, which grabs you immediately with Nicole's powerful vocal style and rock'n'roll sensibilities, followed by the Zydeco-flavoured "Let's Roll" and then slows down temporarily with the dramatic "Baby Loves Me", which recalls Janis Joplin at her best. We get some sensual harmonica work highlighted on "Make My Bed", but the interest really starts on the unusual female confessional, "Girlfiend", a slow-blues tune to which any "bad girl" with a latent conscience and, of course, the wronged party could relate! There's a jazzy bridge in this one that recalls the Allman Brothers' "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed", which further enhances the track and also highlights the tremendously talented Dick Powell on organ. "Man of My Dreams", a rockin' blues anthem, a la Chuck Berry, for anyone who enjoys the parallel between souped-up racecars and sex and even includes a "revving" sequence. Although the vocals on "Drive Slowly Back Roads" are a bit "off", the composition itself is great, with sweet-sounding harmonica giving it a wistful edge. It actually reminded me of Goddo's "Chantal" in its sentimentality. There's a nicely shuffling backbeat and ringing guitar in the vein of Stevie Ray Vaughan on "Just One Night" about an attraction to a kingly stud. Just "who's zooming who" here, though, is questionable. There's some absolutely "rude" saxophone on this one and the lyrics are equally bold! "Solo" could almost supplant "Little Girl Blue" as my all-time favourite slow-blues tune by a female artist (Janis Joplin) but is equally heart-wrenching in its sincere expression of loneliness and despair. The stand-out guitar (both lead and bass) as well as the ubiquitously emotive saxophone reminded me of Joe Cocker's ballsy version of "St. James' Infirmary". "Damn This Guitar", which salutes and showcases the individual members of the band, "Damn This Guitar" is absolutely fabulous in its take on "Mama Don't Allow" and is guaranteed to get even the most serious couch-potato to drop the TV remote and at least tap their toes and snap their fingers, if not getting right up on the floor to do an impromptu boogie! "Young Fool" is a Latin-flavoured jazz number which seems to have been unwisely tacked on at the end, as it marks a distinct strain on her vocals. It's an otherwise excellent collection of music. While I was more than impressed with the backing line-up on this CD, at the time of this writing I have since learned that Nicole Fournier has formed a completely new band called Nicole and her 3-lb. Universe. She is now backed by award-winning trombonist Randy Oxford (professionally associated with guitarist Bob Margolin of Muddy Waters fame), renowned Hammond B-3 player Rick Ulsky (Stevie Wonder, The Turtles, Mamas & the Papas, etc.), German (pronounced Hair-mahn) Brisenio on bass, and Darin Watkins on drums. The band recently opened in Seattle at the Fabulous Firwood for the legendary Savoy Brown! |
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