#736- > Janiva Magness - Back For Me (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

2025 – Blue Elan Records

Release Date : Mar. 28, 2025

By Phillip Smith; Mar. 15, 2025

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

Janiva Magness has been one of my favorite blues singers for quite a while.  Her amazing talent has earned her seven Blues Music Awards including the BB King Entertainer of the Year in 2009, and a Grammy nomination for her 2016 album Love Wins Again.  Magness’ seventeenth release Back For Me shows she is still as innovative and fierce as ever.  Produced by her longtime friend and collaborator Dave Darling, this record teams the blues icon with an amazing short list of guests comprised of Joe Bonamassa, Sue Foley, and Jesse Dayton.  With a mission to shine a light on the B-sides of a few of the heavy-hitter songwriters such as Bill Withers, Ray LaMontagne, Allen Toussaint, Doyle Bramhall II, Tracy Nelson, and Irma Thomas, Magness creates a fabulous listening experience. Backing her in the studio for this release is Darling on guitar, Ian Walker on bass, and W.F. Quinn Smith on drums.    

“Masterpiece”, featuring Bonamassa on guitar and accompanied by Sasha Smith on B3, welcomes the listener with an infectious walking blues rhythm and smoking-hot guitar licks.  Her cover of Bramhall’s “November” from the 2016 album Rich Man, is beautifully performed and expertly approached in such a way which leaves me in a melancholy state.  I love the infusion of the Latin beat and Santana-like guitar from John Schroeder.  It’s great to hear Sue Foley guesting on blues-rocker “Holes”.  Magness sings this with a fearless delivery as Foley mesmerizes me with an amazing performance.  A jazz-fueled bassline, and side of masterful percussion instill a brilliant cadence for “You Can Bring Me Flowers”.  It’s a splendid slice of beat-poetry put to music with Robert ‘Chalo’ Ortiz on guitar.  Smith pours a little barrel-house over Allen Toussaint’s “Hittin’ On Nothing’”.  This selection originally sung by Irma Thomas, features guitar-slinger Jesse Dayton and brings the record to a searing end.

Back For Me is a blues album which absolutely shines in every aspect. It is sure to be an instant classic.

 

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WEBSITE & SOCIALS

 Janiva Magness

https://www.janivamagness.com/

https://janiva-magness.bandcamp.com/music

For other PhillyCheeze reviews featuring Janiva Magness follow these links  :

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2016/03/janiva-magness-love-wins-again.html

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2016/03/janiva-magness-live-riverside-casino.html

Janiva Magness - Love Wins Again

2016 – Blue Élan Records

By Phillip Smith; Mar 26, 2016

Janiva Magness’s latest album, Love Wins Again is a sheer delightful listen.  Delivering eleven outstanding tracks of soulful blues in her trademark grand fashion; Magness has just set the bar a little higher, ensuring this LP will be an instant favorite.

Title track “Love Wins Again” is so smooth and buttery it puts a big ole’ smile on my face each and every time I hear it.  The funk breaks out on “Real Slow” sporting contagious guitar riffs and a groovy bassline.  Sultry vocals on top of an infectious bluesy melody set the mood for “Moth to a Flame”.  Dim all the lights and grab your partner for a slow dance to Magness’ angelic voice on the dreamy “When You Hold Me”.  This one is really nice.       

There’s no shutting the party down when the turntable is spinning “Your House is Burnin’”.  This jamming masterpiece, about turning things around for the better, is loaded with hot guitar licks and a killer sax accompaniment. I love Magness’ interpretation of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s classic, “Long as I Can See the Light”.  It’s really magnificent. Now, if only we can arrange for this song to be recorded as a duet with her and John Fogerty…

This stellar album is definitely one of my favorites this year. 

Janiva Magness - Live @ Riverside Casino 3/19/16

March 19, 2016 – Riverside, Iowa

By Phillip Smith; Mar 20, 2016

Saturday, March 19, as part of their annual Tribute to Blues Weekend, Riverside Casino hosted the fabulous Janiva Magness for an evening of soulful blues.  Magness, who has won seven Blues Music Awards, and grabbed twenty-five blues award nominations, pulled down the B.B. King Entertainer of the Year Award in 2009.  Newest member of the band, guitarist Garret Deloian is a fresh addition, and sounds fantastic alongside the seasoned ensemble of drummer Matt Tecu , bassist Gary Davenport, and guitarist extraordinaire Zach Zunis.

Magness started the evening off with the very soulful “I Won’t Cry” and “Walkin’ in the Sun”.  Zunis peeled off a fantastic guitar solo on the beautifully sung “Say You Will”.  Janiva has such a special talent that allows her to connect to her audience. This was very much prevalent in the heartfelt selection “Doorway”, about love in the form of forgiveness. 

The audience was blessed to be treated to a heaping serving of songs off her brand new album, Love Wins Again.  When pre-ordering this new album, fans can get an extra three songs available nowhere else, via download.  These three tracks were spectacular. The ominous and mojo-infused “Sin Perfume” gave Deloian a beautiful podium to get his mojo on.  “I Don’t Hurt Anymore”, with its retro Nashville vibe, was downright amazing, and “I Can’t Let You Go”, not only had a fantastic guitar solo from Zunis, but the accompaniment from Davenport and Laug in the rhythm section was absolutely stellar.  I loved the cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Long as I Can See the Light”.  Deloian killed it on guitar and Magness’ vocals were exquisite.

It was a fine night of music indeed.

All Photos by Phillip Smith

Tommy Castro presents The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Revue Live

By Phillip Smith

If one thing can be said about Tommy Castro, it’s that he knows how to put on a show.  So well in fact that he is the honorary captain of the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruises.   This album features some of the highlights from The Revue’s recent live performances.  The Revue consists of Tommy Castro, his band, complete with horn section, and a number of musical guests. 

Magic is in the air as Castro totally reinvents Bob Dylan’s ‘Gotta Serve Somebody’.  Possibly one of the hottest tracks on the whole album, it’s as if Stevie Wonder himself took the song, baptized it in a lake of funk, and handed it back. 

Rick Estrin, who has recently taken over for Little Charlie as front man for the Nightcats, dishes out some smoking’ harp licks on ‘My Next Ex-Wife’.   Estrin, not the only Nightcat in on this one, is joined on this one by his guitarist Chris ‘Kid’ Anderson, who adds some pretty hot licks to the song as well.

If I were to continue name dropping, I might ask what Michael Burks, Joe Louis Walker,  Trampled Under Foot, and Janiva Magness all have in common.  The answer would be that they all contribute smoking hot numbers on this album as well. 

This CD is definitely a jewel for those who dig their compilation albums.  Because Castro’s band is backing each track, the listener gets a really good mix of music, but with a common thread providing a fluid connection.   Of course, this one comes highly recommended.