#748- > Gina Sicilia - Bring It On Home : A Tribute to Sam Cooke (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

2025 – BLUE ÉLAN RECORDS
Release Date : June 6, 2025
 
By Phillip Smith; May, 25, 2025
 
Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

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

#557 > Gina Sicilia - Unchange (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

2022 – Vizztone

By Phillip Smith; June 4, 2-22

 

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

Since reviewing Gina Sicilia’s 2016 album Sunset Avenue, I’ve made a point to check out her music as it is released.  Her latest record Unchange is rather spectacular.  Produced, recorded, and mixed by Colin Linden at Pinhead Recorders in Nashville, Tennessee, Unchange features Linden on guitars and vocals, Johnny Dymond on bass, and Bryan Owings on drums to back Sicilia’s beautiful voice.

The opening track “Healing Time” is a wonderous splash of slow, soulful blues with Kevin McKendree on piano.  Sicilia draws me immediately in with her sensational vocal artistry and she sounds fabulous.  She continues to amaze me as title-track “Unchange” follows up in a cloak of poignancy and a beautiful performance from Linden on guitar.  I love it when she breaks into the classic blues traditional “Make Me a Pallet on Your Floor”.  Guest backing vocalists Ann and Regina McCrary add a really nice touch to this extraordinary song.  Sicilia and Linden turn on the heat when they get to the cover of Reverend Gary Davis’ “Death Don’t Have No Mercy”.  Its twangy goodness is seared to perfection.  Sicilia takes crooning to the next level on “Don’t be Afraid to be Wrong”.  With Bohemian nuances sewn into its fabric, this delightful song is indeed a favorite.

The divine voice of Gina Sicilia hits all the right notes for a classic taste of pure Americana.  Unchange is an absolutely stunning album.

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For more information about Gina Sicilia, visit this website :  https://www.ginasicilia.com

Gina Sicilia - Tug of War

2017 – Blue Elan Records

By Phillip Smith; July 22, 2017

Gina Sicilia continues to captivate listeners with her beautiful voice and lovely compositions in her seventh release, Tug of War.  Produced by Grammy-winning producer Glenn Barratt and Grammy-nominated producer Dave Darling, the album consists of six new tracks, along with the five tracks from her 2016 EP release, Sunset Avenue. 

Guest guitarist Zach Zunis (Janiva Magness) dishes out a heaping dose of electrifying licks on “I Don’t Want to be in Love”.  Strong and confident, Siclia’s vocals on “Damaging Me” are reminiscent of those of Linda Ronstadt’s in the height of her career.  Her cover of Patsy Cline’s “He Called Me Baby” is a magnificent and fresh homage to the 1976 Candi Staton version. The rich sounds of Joel Bryant’s B3 slather the song with soul.  Sicilia gives an outstanding performance filled with emotion as she sings The Beatles’ 1963 hit “All My Loving”.  

   

Drawing inspiration for the album title and original tracks, from her own personal struggles and experiences, this wonderfully gifted vocalist artfully encapsulates the Blues into her music and into this album, Tug of War.    

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Here's a quick link to check out my review of Gina Sicilia's  Sunset Avenue EP -> 

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2016/12/gina-sicilia-sunset-avenue.html

    

Gina Sicilia - Sunset Avenue

2016 – Blue Elan Records

By Phillip Smith; Dec. 26, 2016

Beautiful, captivating vocals are the center of attention in Sunset Avenue, the sixth studio release from Philadelphia singer/songwriter Gina Sicilia.  Nominated in 2008 for a Blues Music Award in the category of Best New Artist Debut, Sicilia proves once again, her voice is certainly one to be reckoned with.  Her approach to singing the blues is a softer and more soulful one. 

I’m hooked on this album right from the get-go with “Abandoned”, a marvelous piece dunked in country-blues.  Sicilia’s bluesy performance on “They Never Pay Me” is quite breathtaking, as she sheds her chains of repression to stand out and be heard.  This outstanding song is wonderfully played.  Another sweet little prize on this album is her joy-filled cover of The Exciters’ 1962 Top 10 single “Tell Him”.  It’s a delightful homage indeed.

Sicilia’s sweet stellar voice, along with her talented and tight cast of musicians make Sunset Avenue the standout five-track EP it is.