Eliza Neals – Thunder In The House
E-H Records
9 tracks/34 minutes
Neals offers up nine new tracks on this, her thirteenth studio album. Neals calls on some other Detroit area musicians to help her on this release and it’s a well done collection of cuts. Neals poses on an Acacia Street road sign which symbolizes the resilience and energy of her musical endeavors, hearkening to the acacia tree which symbolizes resilience, immortality, purity, divine wisdom, and spiritual connection.
Joining Neals are for the most part are Michael Puwal on guitars, Justin Headley and Steve Lacross on drums, and Doug Woems on bass. Mark ‘Muggie Doo’ Leach adds B3 on two tracks; Neals handles keys on one of those and on four other cuts. Puwal switches to drums on ”One Monkey” and New England’s Frankie Maniero is on guitar for that one. Neals fronts the band and adds her own backing vocals.
“Speedy Beady” begins things and it is a bit of take off on the classic “Little Red Rooster” featuring a throbbing beat and vibrant sound. It’s a slick cut. “Love Will” follows, featuring Neals signature vocals and some in your face guitar licks by Puwal. It’s a driving, midtempo blues rocker. Slide guitar abounds on “Blues Bombshell,” a slow blues where Neals testifies with feeling.
“All Alone” features Neals on organ and piano; it’s a somewhat ethereal cut with big rock anthem qualities. Neals sings with passion and the guitar reaches into the stratosphere. ‘Locked Up” is a ballad with attitude. Piano adds to the overall feeling of the performance as Neals sings with deep emotion. “Wicked Heart” switches gears as Neals and company rock out. Guitar and B3 help drive this along nicely.
The guitar stings on “Unoriginal Bitch” as Neals growls out the vocals. A rocking guitar and driving beat get the listener’s blood flowing here. Then it’s “One Monkey” with piano, B# and guitar making for a nice musical mélange. Neals sings with passion on this jumping cut. The album concludes with the title track. A slow blues with vocals that growl and grind and slide guitar that offers lamentations equal to the vocals. This is a dark and cool cut.
Neals delivers a swaggering and confident performance that her fans and blues rock lovers with find to their liking. I hear a maturity in this release that shows growth in her musicality and delivery. Thirteen is not always an unlucky number.
