My first encounter with Sista Monica Parker was at the 2000 Ottawa Bluesfest. I had just finished my set, and while getting my equipment ready for loadout, I was stopped cold in my tracks by the band that followed. When a razor-sharp band hits the stage poppin' like these guys, loadout can wait. I had that "feeling", one of those "who ARE those guys?" Blues experiences.
The very next feeling I had was, "with a groovy band like this, whomever they are backing must not suck too bad either." Then Sista Monica, the "Blues Lioness", hit the stage and it was all over but the crying. This powerful band was the perfect pedestal for one of the strongest voices in the Blues. It was a beautiful day and a groovy set. I was thus healed by the Sista.
People Love the Blues starts off the same way. Poppin', in your face, Contemporary Blues. The intensity of the first cut, You Got To Pay, at first made me wonder if I could stand the ass-whooppin' that could be in store for me on this CD. By the third cut, A Chance to Breathe, I finally got a chance to breathe. Go figure. Guest artist Larry McCray's savory guitar solo drips globs of Blues on the slow groove. Got your breath? You're gonna need it for the next cut, a cover of Jackie Wilson's Baby Workout.
My favorite cut is Honey It's Your Fault. The Sista gets ultra-real on modern love's pitfalls. Ms Parker, a former U.S. Marine Recruiting Sergeant, has a no-nonsense, cut-to-the-bone Blues testimony for the people and the people will definitely be able to identify. It gets way too real, which in my book makes for great Blues.
It's A Shame, It's A Mystery is Sista's most touching vocal performance on the record. Danny B., her longtime piano, Hammond B3 organ player, and co-producer, frames her voice perfectly. If you're an Etta James fan, then you are automatically a Sista Monica fan.
The ultra-funky Put Your Shoe On The Other Foot shows this band has been to New Orleans and eaten a po-boy or two. A secondline-ish groove is the most danceable tune on the record. Bassist Don E. Beck and drummer Ron E. Beck shine on this cut.
This CD is dedicated to former band member Ken "Big Papa" Baker. Two short cuts on the record feature Big Papa in past performances.
The Sista is also touting two new releases, A live recording, Sista Monica "Live in Europe" and her first Gospel record, Gimme That Old Time Religion".
We already knew that "People Love the Blues". Sista Monica is one of the reasons why.
J.B.
