Rebekah
Meldrum
(self-titled)
2019 – Rebekah Meldrum
By Phillip Smith; Nov. 16, 2019
I’m very impressed with the debut self-titled
release from Indiana-based singer-songwriter Rebekah
Meldrum. This
preacher’s daughter grew up singing gospel, but got a penchant for the blues
after hearing Koko Taylor
at the young age of eight. Guitarist Paul Holdman, her longtime collaborator, makes for a
perfect fit, for together they weave a terrific album of earthy, delta-inspired
blues. The rest of the band is comprised
of bassist David Murray,
drummer Kevin Kouts, with P.J. Yinger on trumpet, and Richard Dole
on saxophone. Tad Robinson
and Patrick Long share duties on
harmonica.
I love the opening track “Set Your Soul Free”. It is deliciously swampy to the core. Holdman’s slide is fantastic and sounds great alongside Robinson’s attention-grabbing harp playing. Meldrum’s vocals are fearless and sweet, as she delivers another fabulous serving of original blues with “Whiskey and Wine”. This one is quite nice. Holdman keeps his performance beautifully crisp, and Robinson shines as he rips it up on harmonica. Meldrum surfs her smooth, velvety voice atop a funky rhythm on “Coat Tails”. Holdman adds a funky nod to James Brown with his Jimmy Nolen-style chicken-scratch guitar licks. I enjoy the song a lot.
Meldrum closes this bodacious seven-track album with “I’m Here”, a song dedicated to friends and family lost to suicide. The horns add a sense of a New Orleans second line. It’s really a lovely song. A portion of the profits from this track, are earmarked for donation to the Suicide Prevention Program. This is really a terrific album, and I’d recommend it to any music fan.
For more information about the artist, visit this website.. www.rebekahmeldrum.com
