|
Formed in 2005 and consisting of Helen Davies (Lead Vocals/Guitar), Dee Cooper (Keyboards/Vocals), Susan Johnson (Bass/Vocals) and Christa Rossner (Drums/Vocals), Curl are a dynamic all-female Canadian Blues band active mainly in Victoria and Area. Each member brings their unique skills to the table that have melded into perfect symmetry. Helen Davies, a former member of "classic rock band Rukus, pop band The Voodoo Slaves, eight-piece R&B band, Davy’s Gang and blues-rock quartet Canadian Bandwagon", brings her amazing Janis Joplin style Vocals and energetic presence, to the mix. Dee Cooper's musical roots also started with Rock and as with Helen, eventually ended up joining a Blues Band in the 90's. Both Susan Johnson and Christa Rossner, have had the great fortune to have had been taught by some of the best, which for Susan included learning from "Russell Jackson (former Bassist for B.B. King) and Gary Kendall of the Downchild Blues Band" and Christa, who has studied with Bill Hicks (Drums, David Gogo), Grammy Award Winner Donald Johnson, and Damian Graham (Drums, the Sutcliffes). "All My Fault" consists of 10 great tracks, 5 of which are originals and 5 excellent covers. Of the 5 originals, 3 are credited to Helen Davies, 1 to Dee Cooper, and 1 to the band as a whole. For the covers, Curl chose some really great ones, which included, as mentioned earlier, "Hound Dog", as well as, "Alright, Okay, You Win" (Maymie Watts & Sid Wyche), "a breezy, swingin' jazz number", "Born In Chicago", a song for which Nick Gravenites was inducted to the Blues Hall of Fame in 2003 for writing, "16 Tons", "a song about the life of a coal miner, first recorded in 1946 by American country singer Merle Travis", and one Traditional, "St. James Infirmary Blues". This particular lineup of covers, is one of the better ones I have seen in awhile. "All My Fault" was a pretty rock solid and entertaining album, which made picking 3 favorites not overly easy, but never the less, I chose "Hound Dog", "Born In Chicago", and "16 Tons". Now don't get the wrong impression, just because my 3 favorites were all covers, I also really enjoyed the originals, as well, but I just felt that the way those covers were performed, was just a little extra special. "Hound Dog" starts off with Helen Davies belting out Youuuuuuuu Ain't Nothing But A Hound Dog and you know at that point the party has started and the singer is already sounding Marvelous. Helen also steps in with a great Guitar Solo around the 1:20 mark followed by Dee Cooper showing off her great work on Keys. Susan Johnson and Christa Rossner hold it all together with their nice Bass and Drum work. A really fine opening track. "Born In Chicago" once again showed off the great Vocals of Helen Davies, and as "Hound Dog", it also has solo's of Guitar and Keys. If "Hound Dog" and "Born In Chicago" were the favorites that had Guitar and Keys shine the brightest, "16 Tons" is where the subtle Drum work of Christa Rossner and the rock solid Bass of Susan Johnson takes center stage, along with, as always the Killer Vocals of Davies' that really show their range at the end of this beauty. "All My Fault" was a fabulous intro to a fabulous all female band. These 4 ladies have proven that they can certainly stand and perform amongst the best that Canada has to over and I am sure that with the release of "All My Fault", many people will start to really take notice of this very entertaining Blues Quartet. Review by John Vermilyea (Blues Underground Network) Listen To Samples Here... http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/curl2 Additional Artist Info... http://members.shaw.ca/curlgirls/
|
It was not long into the opening Track, "Hound Dog", before I realized that Curl's new release "All My Fault", was more than likely, going to turn out to be a really good listen. A few more Tracks and my suspicions where confirmed, as this little beauty of an album just got better and better.