Victoria Ginty – Unfinished Business | Album Review

Victoria Ginty – Unfinished Business

Blue Door Records

www.victoriagintyandladyhawke.com

CD: 11 Songs, 56:06 Minutes

Styles: Jazz-and-Soul-Influenced Blues, Horn Blues, Torch Blues

Floridian Victoria Ginty’s new album, Unfinished Business, is a universal musical memoir in eleven tracks. Says Ginty in the CD liner notes, “[These songs] represent many of the passions we share as we travel through life’s experiences. From the frustration and anger of a relationship ending, to the playfulness of a new one starting, the obsessive wonder of new love, and finally the realization that we are ultimately responsible for our decisions…To understand the Blues is to have lived the Blues. Ultimately, we all have ‘Unfinished Business.’” This sultry torch singer, accompanied by her band Ladyhawke, show that taking care of such involves pain and passion. Want proof? Flip the CD over and look at the photo on the back. Victoria’s outfit may be bright and sunny, but the look on her face reveals she’s weathering an inner storm. Through eight originals and three covers, she takes listeners through its turmoil, to its eye, and out again. Her voice is like a piña colada: sweet and refreshing, but don’t forget the hot sting of rum beneath.

In the “Bio” section of her website, Ginty comments, “I can’t tell you how excited I am to have a new project with so much original material, and I had great co-writers contributing as well, including Grammy nominated Mike Alan Ward and members of my band.  In Nashville I had some success as a songwriter, but this project has been a lifetime in the making.” She’s also thrilled that “younger audience members often comment how great it is to see and hear ‘real music’ when we perform at venues that can afford our full band, and really, this genre benefits from being presented the way it’s meant to be played, organically.”

Along with Victoria Ginty are J. Livingston on bass; G. Lougen on guitar; R. English on piano; B. Decker on Hammond organ; J. English on drums; G. Castillo on percussion; J. Diggs on backing vocals; E. Wozniak on tenor sax; C. Weirich on trumpet, and J. Cheslak on trombone.

The following three songs epitomize the lighthearted fun and heavy heartbreak of the blues.

Track 01: “Unfinished Business” – Ever met someone, somewhere, somehow, but never got further than a kiss goodnight? Our narrator has, but she’s run into Mr. Right once more. “We’ve got unfinished business,” comes the sing-along refrain. “We’ve got to finish sometime!” Check out the sizzling saxophone by one Wozniak (no, not the one who worked with Steve Jobs), and the blistering guitar solo courtesy of G. Lougen.

Track 09: “Lyin’ (In Each Other’s Arms Again)” – When we talk about love, it’s almost always of the “true” variety, but not this time. Falsehoods and affairs can come to haunt even the best of romantic relationships. “We lie to ourselves and we lie to both of them, until we’re lying in each other’s arms again.” Channeling Linda Ronstadt and a bit of Patsy Cline, Ginty tells it like it is. The Hammond organ by B. Decker provides a melancholy backdrop to this sorry scene.

Track 10: “Do Me Right” – With a bouncy beat and bodacious bassline, track ten shows that sometimes, “doing someone right” means saying goodbye. “You think I’m sleeping while you’re staying out all night? Well, if you’re gonna do me wrong, baby – do me right.” Perfect for the dance floor, whether indoor or outdoor, this song will leave one craving more.

Soul blues fans, if you haven’t listened to Victoria Ginty’s latest, you have Unfinished Business!

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