Heather Anne Lomax – Who Do You Think You Are?
Blackbird Record Label
11 songs – 39 minutes
Heather Anne Lomax is a singer, songwriter and guitar player. She also possesses one of the rawest, most raucous, most full-bodied voices unleashed on the listening public in years. Sitting somewhere close to the crossroads of Americana, Folk-Rock, Classic Rock and Blues, Who Do You Think You Are? is a powerful, muscular statement of intent. Recorded live at Love Street Sound Studios (owned by the legendary Doors guitarist, Robby Krieger) in Los Angeles, the album embraces a raw, unfiltered energy that harks back to classic 1970s recordings by the likes of Led Zeppelin and Free, or even slightly more recent acts such as The Black Crowes.
Lomax is backed by a variety of different but excellent musicians, including Jason Hiller on bass; drummers Rob Humphries, Jordan West, David Goodstein and Jamie Douglas; Keyboardists: Ty Bailie, Jerry Borge and Carey Frank; and guitarist (and producer) Zachary Ross. Fuzzbee Morse adds flute to two tracks and Lily Elise and Mary Scholz add backing vocals. Hiller and Ross play on every track as well as mixing the recordings.
All songs are original compositions by Lomax, other than “Superstar”, a cover written by Lomax’s late friend Michael Doman of The Broken Homes. And a fine collection of songs they are, too. The opening track, “Come Along”, invites the listener to join Lomax on her musical journey on a blues-rock track that recalls early Heart, before Ross’s dirty slide guitar kicks off the Zeppelin-esque “Step Aside”. The stomping grind of “Can’t Refuse” probably comes closest to a traditional 12 bar blues structure but with some serious attitude. By contrast, “Ridgefield Dreams” sounds like Bonnie Dobson’s “Morning Dew” (perhaps most famously covered by Jeff Beck) blended with the acoustic folk-rock of Led Zeppelin III. The closing track, “Hello Daybreak” opens with gentle strummed acoustic guitars and Morse’s airy flute, building to a cacophony of howls and wails before gently fading away.
The songs are first rate, played by some top drawer musicians and excellently recorded. But what separates this album is Lomax’s voice, which is an absolute force of nature. It has hints of Beth Hart’s mighty vulnerability, a dash of Robert Plant’s curiosity and intelligence, but is really quite unique.
Who Do You Think You Are? is not a blues album but, like the classic rock albums of the late 1960s and early 1970s, it is heavily informed by the blues. If your tastes lean towards classic blues-rock, you will find a lot to enjoy on this release. Lomax appears to have a very bright future in front of her.
