2020 – American Showplace
Music
By Phillip Smith; July 18, 2020
There’s no escaping the powerful
voice and fierce style of Hurricane Ruth LaMaster in Good Life, her
fifth and latest album. Her fearless approach
to singing the blues takes a backseat to none. Produced by Ben Elliot (Savoy Brown,
Leslie West, Hubert Sumlin) who sadly passed away April 5, 2020, this ten-track
album comprised mostly of original songs features Scott Holt on guitar, Calvin
Johnson on bass guitar, Bruce Katz on B3/keys, and Tony Braunagel
on drums.
A t-shirt I purchased from guitarist
Scott Holt seven years ago at a favorite blues-hangout called Checkers
Tavern in Cedar Rapids, Iowa says, “Loud is Good!”. Loud is indeed good, and that’s the apparent mantra
from the git-go with the high-energy opener “Wildfire”. With Katz pounding the keys, and Holt
ripping it up on guitar, Hurricane Ruth gives a riveting performance on
the mic. The music gets even hotter and
out of control on “Dirty Blues”. I love
it. Written by two-time Grammy winning
producer Gary Nicholson, “Torn in Two” is an excellent vehicle for Ruth’s
hardscrabble style. While the band is absolutely
cooking, she takes this song by the horns and wrestles it to the ground. There’s a hard-rocking Suzi Quatro-esque
vibe on “Black Sheep” which I simply adore. This reflective ode to Ruth’s younger
badass self is a definite favorite. “Who
I Am” is a killer track with lots of tasty jam.
A deep heavy pulse from Braunagel and a funky taste of keys from Katz
opens the song as Ruth sings about leaving her partying days behind.
Hurricane Ruth packs a fistful of gusto into Good Life, delivering
yet another rock-solid record of blues. It’s
definitely an album which I will keep in rotation for a while.
---
For more information about the artist, visit this website : hurricaneruth.com
