9/3/2023 0 Comments Blues under the bridge 2021Pianist Tim Wick, a Professor Longhair devotee, executes the song’s standout keyboard work. Parker adds Latin flavor to “Predator,” a song inspired by the late Amy Winehouse and featuring the surprising melody and harmony that Parker calls “my Elton John bridge.” “Dirty Rotten Guy,” a raucous ode to pleasure, has a New Orleans flavor. The upbeat “What Did You Expect” follows the pop path of Jackson Browne. On Parker’s performance of her ballad “Either Way,” she summons the vocal prowess of one of rock’s great female vocalists, Ann Wilson of Heart. “Bad Version of Myself” moves into funk and rhythm-and-blues. Although she reveres the latter genres, the broader Americana label is a better fit for her versatility and expansive range and influences. "Gone So Long,” has a Southern rock feel. Parker has been tagged as a blues and rhythm-and-blues singer, but her music is so much more. A song of perseverance, it borrows some of its lyrics from the Book of Isaiah. “When dark clouds gather round you, and the night is dark and long,” Parker sings. “When the devil is coming for you, carry on, child, carry on.” “Carry On,” the first single from Out of the Dark, charts a blues-rock-gospel course. “It’s about the way I’ve been feeling and changing over the past year, figuring out who I am. On the positive side of a tough situation, the four-month break from the studio helped Parker clear her mind and reaffirm her purpose. “When you’re so busy, you get caught up in the competitiveness of things,” she said. “So, it was good to stop and examine why I’m doing this and where I’m going.”ĭuring her contemplative downtime, Parker wrote the inspiring title track, “Out of the Dark.” “I love that song,” she said. Sessions restarted in June, but only a small number of musicians entered the studio at one time, a pandemic precaution that pushed production into August. The coronavirus pandemic stopped the project in March, when just the basic tracks for five songs completed. Production for the album began in January 2020. Parker co-produced the album with Lamoine and Kevin Bowe, the Minneapolis-based producer, songwriter and guitarist whose myriad credits include Etta James, Jonny Lang, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, the Replacements, Joe Cocker, John Mayall, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Lucinda Williams and Bruce Springsteen. Stylistically diverse and roots-connected, Out of the Dark expands on Hard to Love’s success with 11 new songs composed by Parker and guitarist Mark Lamoine. Joyann Parker believes music helps people carry on through troubled times. With that in mind, the Minneapolis-based singer-songwriter is releasing OUT OF THE DARK (Hopeless Romantic Records) on FEBRUARY 12, 2021, the rootsy, genre-blending sequel to her acclaimed debut release, Hard to Love. “It’s a great time to release the album,” Parker says. “People need music right now.” Chicago’s Most Wanted is a group of world renowned musicians who have played with everyone in the blues community! Heavy hitters and professional playing ability, always gets them coming back to perform. He uses his charismatic style and soulful voice to draw a crowd in and keep the audience involved. on Halsted.īig Ray and Chicago’s Most Wanted play regularly at clubs all around Chicago as well as festivals throughout the United States and around the world. Currently, Big Ray tours with Jimmy Johnson as his bandleader and drummer. He plays regularly at one of Chicago’s oldest and most respected blues clubs, B.L.U.E.S. Along the way, he played with Otis Clay, Luther Allison, John Primer, Lefty Dizz, Syl Johnson, and many more. Being a solid drummer as well as a dynamic vocalist, Ray was soon in demand and working nonstop. Big Ray was asked to join the legendary Otis Rush blues band in 1995. In 1989, he formed his own band and performed as the opening act for Smilin' Bobby. Ray sang along with the bands and entertained while mixing drinks for a roomful of customers. Big Ray began his musical career as a singing bartender at Brady’s, where the nightly lineup included Billy Branch and the Sons of Blues, Jody Williams, Willie Kent and the Gents, and J. Born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, Big Ray was surrounded by the musical influences of Buddy Scott and Johnny Dollar.
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