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2025 – BLUE ÉLAN RECORDS
Release Date : June
6, 2025
I’ve been a big fan of
Gina Sicilia’s music since I first heard her album Sunset Avenue
nine years ago. Her voice is among the best I have heard. For Sicilia’s
eleventh studio album, she has recorded a tribute to the legendary King of
Soul Sam Cooke, and it is absolutely fabulous. The record consists
of Sicilia covering ten songs Cooke had either written or
iconically covered. Produced by Fred
Mollin and recorded in Nashville, Tennessee, this ten-track album
features Sicilia on lead vocals backed by Pat Coil on keyboards, Kerry
Marx on electric/acoustic guitars, Larry Paxton on bass, Tommy
Harden on drums/percussion, Fred Mollin on electric guitar/synth/percussion/backing
vocals, Pat Bergeson on harmonica, Jim Hoke on horns, and backing
vocalists Maureen Murphy, Amanda Broadway, and Troy Johnson.
Sicilia opens the record in a big way with “Shake”. The pounding drums and inescapable groove pull me right in for a damn good time. Guest artist Wil Merrell steps in for a duet with Sicilia on “Bring It On Home to Me”. Their voices complement each other immensely. It really is a wonderful track. My heart lights up when I hear “Another Saturday Night”. I remember the Cat Stevens version most from having his Greatest Hits album on 8-Track tape. Written by Cooke on tour in England and inspired by his stay at a hotel where female guests were not allowed to stay, the song was originally released in 1963 reaching number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The final two tracks on this album are covers of Bob Dylan’s “Blowing in the Wind’ and Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come”. The two songs have an interesting connection to each other. After hearing Dylan’s song, Cooke was so inspired to write his own anthem to the civil rights movement. Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come” was released on his 1964 album Ain’t That Good News, and his cover of Dylan’s “Blowin’ In the Wind” landed on the 1964 album Sam Cooke at the Copa. Sicilia beautifully takes on both of these wonderful songs.
Gina Sicilia has captivated me once again with Bring It On Home : A Tribute to Sam Cooke. It is truly a powerful and exquisite listen.
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Available on Bandcamp
For more information about Gina
Sicilia visit her website https://www.ginasicilia.com/
For other PhillyCheeze
reviews of Gina Sicilia, visit this link https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/search?q=gina+sicilia
