Ain't Gonna Hush

Saffire the Uppity Blues Women, are at it again. They have just released their seventh album, Ain't Gonna Hush!. I can't imagine what it would take to hush these women. Saffire plays the blues, all kinds of blues from the deep down hurt'n, to the boogie-woogie party party blues. They have songs that will make you cry, songs that set your soul on fire, and songs that will make you get up and dance.

It's all in the way they sing. Lyrics like "I need a young young man to drive away my middle aged blues", and "forget about experience, I'd rather have potential" take on a whole new meaning. These are women of the world, singing about what they know. Sometimes its funny, sometimes it's raunchy, but it's always about respect. Everybody is sure to find something they like, and the more you listen, the more there is to like.

After all, they can all really play music, and they can all sing. All are accomplished musicians with careers going back before Saffire's first album was released in 1990 by Alligator Records. They each have their own style, and two have released individual records, but they come together to create a space in your brain. Some songs are old blues standards, and others are their own material. All have that certain something the blues is better at than any other kind of music.

With their new album Saffire is right up at the top of my personal playlist. I like to mentally fit the new songs into the songs I already know, so I listen to some songs on the new album, then put on ones from an older album, then move on to others as the mood takes me. Since I bought the new album I've listened to it several times all the way through, and individual cuts with a number of their other songs. Of course, I've only just been introduced to their new music, and I'm looking forward to much more listening.

I really want to see them live, especially after hearing their live album, Live and Uppity. They have played in Calgary several times, but we couldn't attend. Sigh. For sure next time. Live and Uppity has lots of music that hasn't been released on the earlier records. One of the songs is much longer on the live version, and much more interesting. Check out the track Bitch with a Bad Attitude. It's 4:04 long on Old, New, Borrowed & Blue, and 6:51 on the live album. They clearly enjoy themselves on stage, and the audience particularly first timers, enjoy it even more.

Even if you aren't a big fan of the blues, take the time to listen to some of their work. Their website has some samples in both ram and mp3 format. I particularly recommend Middle Age Blues Boogie from the live album.