4801 South Indiana Avenue

Album review

4801 South Indiana Avenue is Chicago guitar slinger Joanna Connor's 14th album. Recorded in Nashville and co-produced by guitarists Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith, it is the sophomore release for the former's Keeping the Blues Alive (KTBA) label. Bonamassa wanted to work with Connor after seeing a viral video of her wild playing at a blues festival. She developed her singular chops for over 35 years, playing South and West side blues joints with Otis Rush, Lonnie Brooks, Dion Payton, Buddy Guy, and Luther Allison. The album's title was the street address of the legendary South side bar, Theresa's Lounge -- Connor played there too. Bonamassa and Smith picked songs and hired the musicians (keyboardist Reese Wynans, drummer Lemar Carter, and bassist Calvin Turner, and a horn section). They insisted she play slide guitar exclusively without effects pedals -- they handled the rhythm chores. Far from a purist's re-creation of Chicago blues, this offers a raw, unruly approach that aesthetically links Hound Dog Taylor's house-rocking blues to George Thorogood's explosive energy and the Red Devils' punk swagger. "Destination," originally by Jimmy Thackery's Assassins, is a choogler framed by Wynans' pumping piano, and, of course, Connor's slide wrangling and throaty vocal. Guest Jimmy Hall adds sweet backing and harmony vocals. Wynans introduces "Come Back Home" with a boogie woogie left hand, establishing a no-quit groove for Turner and Carter. His solo moves afield underscoring Connor's soulful vocal and slippery slide roil. Luther Allison's "Bad News" is especially resonant. Connor spent a decade opening for him on tours. Her vocal summons the haunted sorrow, dread, and heartache in the lyric with searing honesty. Her biting solo frames every turnaround with restless passion. "I Feel So Good" is a riotous boogie that Connor makes her own with declamatory singing and off-the-rails slide playing. Albert King's "For the Love of a Man" is turned inside-out, reflecting feminine desire unburdened by societal norms. The strutting horns urge Connor on, as she delivers the protagonist's want in her vocal, while her burning guitar solo underscores barely controllable erotic need. Lowell Fulsom's "Trouble Trouble," once a vehicle for Otis Rush, offers Connor's slide in a duel with Wynans' soaring B-3 and punchy right-hand piano runs. Otis Clay's "Part Time Love" was a hit for Little Johnnie Taylor in 1963. In Connor's version, the strolling horns share the frontline with guitar breaks from her and Bonamassa. Closer "It's My Time" was penned by Smith. It's a steamy, smoky noir blues, to which Connor adds an original spoken lyric while trading licks with Bonamassa. They're buoyed by clattering tom-toms, swelling organ, and a bumping bassline. Musically, 4801 South Indiana Avenue is Connor's most focused outing. It arguably showcases her world-class talent better than the others, simply because, unfettered from the practical concerns of a session, she can -- and does -- pursue this music for its own sake. With Bonamassa and Smith assisting, Connor's performance offers her iconic playing, delivered with joyful abandon and plenty of attitude.
© Thom Jurek /TiVo