The Ice Queen

Album review

Sue Foley hasn't released a solo album since 2006's New Used Car, so the 2018 appearance of The Ice Queen is something of an event. Its specialness is underscored by cameos by three heavy-hitters of the central Texas music scene: Charlie Sexton pops up on the opening "Come to Me," Jimmie Vaughan swings by for "The Lucky Ones," and ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons plays on "Fool's Gold." All three provide Foley with a bit of a signal boost so The Ice Queen may be heard outside the confines of Texas blues circles, but the wondrous thing about their appearances is that they're all in deference to Foley, following her own idiosyncratic leads. The Ice Queen offers a welcome reminder of how fully formed her voice is as a guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Firmly rooted in traditional Texas blues, Foley writes winding riffs that skirt the edge of familiar -- her playing follows similarly winding paths -- and she writes songs that avoid clichés, all of which are elements of a strong modern blues album. The Ice Queen winds up as an exceptional modern blues album because the interplay between Foley, bassist Billy Horton, and drummer George Rains is kinetic and open, finding space for not just the star cameos but organist Mike Flanigin and the Texas Horns, helping to give the record color and swing. After nine house-rocking electric tunes, the album eases to a close with a coda of low-key acoustic numbers, the last two performed by Foley on her own, and far from seeming like a transmission from a different world, these three numbers pull the album into perspective. All 12 songs showcase the full range of Foley's talent as well as the deep feeling flowing through her music, which is more than enough to make The Ice Queen something special.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo