Misty Blues – Outside The Lines
Guitar One Records
11 songs – 46 minutes
Outside The Lines is the 12th album by Massachusetts-based Misty Blues, who are now close to notching up a quarter of a century together as a band. The album mines the same rich seam as previous releases: original blues songs, blended with hints of soul, funk, gospel and even a drop or two of jazz.
The core band features Gina Coleman on vocals, cigar box guitar and guitar; Seth Fleischmann on guitar and vocals; Bill Patriquin on bass, trumpet and vocals; Benny Kohn on keyboards and vocals; Rob Tatten on drums, trombone and vocals; Aaron Dean on saxophone; and Diego Mongue on bass, guitar, drums and vocals. As a discerning reader might infer, this number of multi-instrumentalists results in a delightfully wide range of tonal palettes and approaches. In addition, a number of guest artists also contribute to the fun, including Eric Gales, Petri Byrd, Matt Cusson, Kat Riggins and Justin Johnson.
The band centers around the superb voice and stellar songwriting of lead singer, Coleman, who wrote or co-wrote all the songs on the album, but every musician contributes impressively. Mongue, Patriquin and Tatten lay down a series of ferocious grooves, which breathe dynamically and irresistibly. Ample space is afforded to the various soloists, none of whom disappoints. Cusson’s jazz-tinged piano and husky voice work perfectly when guesting on a song such as “One of These Days”, but that only seemed to inspire Dean to nail an absolutely killer sax solo as a result. The dueling solos on “Grip Your Soul” are one of the many album highlights.
Lyrically, the songs often look to inspire (“One Of These Days” or “Dare To Dream”) or to ask questions of the listener and his/her conscience (“The Hate” or “Where Your Blues Come From”). Musically, perhaps the most obvious reference point is The Neville Brothers (high praise indeed), with the songs being firmly rooted in the blues, but incorporating a range of other influences. “Days Of Voodoo And Laughter” is one of the few songs on the album that follows a traditional blues chord progression, with more dueling instrumentation in the solos.
This is top-drawer musicianship with well constructed songs and superb recording from engineers, Frank Kennedy, Dave Dennison and Patrick Gray Jr; mixing engineer Seth von Paulus and mastering engineer, Leon Zervos.
Despite all this, it is Coleman’s voice that keeps seizing the listener’s attention. On the rollicking “Granville T.”, she goes from a whisper to a hurricane and back again in the blink of an eye, while her deep voice and warm, passionate conviction dominate everything on the opening rock groove of “Where Your Blues Come From.”
This band will surely become better known in the Blues world. They really have it all. Gina Coleman is a rare diamond of a singer/songwriter. Outside The Lines is a very, very impressive release and highly recommended.
