JANIVA MAGNESS
''WHAT LOVE WILL DO''
JUNE 10 2008
48:00
1. That's What Love Will Make You Do/3:21
2. I Want A Love/3:45
3. I'm Glad You're Mine/3:25
4. Bitter Pill/4:07
5. Fool Me Again/3:42
6. Get It, Get It/4:16
7. One Heartache Too Late/4:35
8. You Sound Pretty Good/2:27
9. I Don't Want You On My Mind/4:05
10. Don't Do It/2:55
11. I Won't Be Around/3:58
12. Freedom Is Just Beyond The Door/3:26
13. Sometimes You Got To Gamble/3:58
Julie Christensen /Vocals (Background)
Brie Darling /Percussion, Vocals (Background)
Dave Darling /Bass, Guitar, Handclapping, Percussion, Producer, Vocals (Background)
Donny Gerrard /Vocals (Background)
Justin Guarini /Choir/Chorus
Stephen Hodges /Drums, Handclapping, Percussion
Janiva Magness /Vocals, Handclapping, Producer
Mark Philpart /Vocals (Background)
Arlan Schierbaum /Clavinet, Keyboards, Organ (Hammond), Wurlitzer
Lee Thornburg /Horn, Trombone, Trumpet
Jeff Big Dad Turmes /Banjo, Bass, Composer, Guitar, Handclapping, Horn, Sax (Baritone), Sax (Tenor)
Michael "Junior" Watson /Guitar
John Whynot /Keyboards, Piano
Benny Yee /Keyboards
Red Young /Keyboards, Organ (Hammond), Wurlitzer
REVIEW
by Hal Horowitz
After over a decade of hard labor in the blues trenches, Janiva Magness finally gets a shot at the brass ring with her debut Alligator release. Six increasingly accomplished albums provided the studio experience in crafting her music for maximum dynamics, and the results show on this rollicking set of blues and R&B that kicks off with the Little Milton penned title track. As usual Magness finds terrific, generally obscure material, digging deep to unearth gems such as Teresa James' "I Want a Love" and even Annie Lennox's "Bitter Pill," an unusual choice on the surface but one that perfectly captures Magness' tougher edge. With more time and a larger budget, these songs are fleshed out with horns, organ, and background vocals. While that makes for a bigger production and a more immediate sound, Magness' magnificent voice occasionally gets lost in the mix. That's the case on upbeat tracks such as her version of an Ike Turner rarity "Get It, Get It," which features three guitars and brass. Ditto for a seemingly rushed version of Marvin Gaye's "Don't Do It" that might have sounded like a good idea on paper, but never catches fire because her vocals fight for attention in a somewhat cluttered mix. That's about the only downside for an album that delivers what anyone who has seen Magness live will love. She rips into ballads such as Gary Nicholson's Memphis-styled "Fool Me Again" with tenacity, and the stripped down arrangement allows her to bring a gritty emotional edge that Delbert McClinton, who could be considered the male counterpart to Magness, creates so effectively. Husband/multi-instrumentalist/songwriter Jeff Turmes' material, including "Sometimes You Got to Gamble," a ballad sung against his gospel piano and sparse bass, is moving and riveting. Another Turmes original "You Sound Pretty Good" brings a peppy New Orleans-styled horn arrangement and banjo to one of this disc's highlights. Bill Withers' "I Don't Want You on My Mind" gets down to its swampy soul in a cool, crawling arrangement featuring a slicing Turmes guitar solo. Earl Thomas' "I Won't Be Around" frames Magness' voice in a stark, near musical silence that allows her to tear into its emotional center. Although she's no newcomer, many might be exposed to Janiva Magness through this album due to Alligator's marketing and distribution muscle. It's a great place to start enjoying a veteran performer who burns through these songs like she's got everything to prove.
BIOGRAPHY
by Steve Leggett
Blues and soul singer Janiva Magness was no stranger to trouble and hard times growing up, and at her best, she pours that lifetime of emotion into her passionate phrasing and vocal delivery. Born in Detroit, Magness grew up with her father's blues and country record collection, as well as the city's wonderfully Motown pop-soul sound, all of which shaped her style and approach as a musician. She lost both of her parents to suicide while in her early teens, and she ended up living on the streets, channeled through endless foster homes, before becoming pregnant at the age of 17 and being forced to give up the child for adoption. Her personal and creative redemption came at an Otis Rush show in Minneapolis. Discouraged, stressed, and definitely underage, Magness snuck into the club and was transformed by Rush's performance. That was the moment, Magness maintains, that her vision of herself as a singer and musician began to take shape. She started out as a background singer, finally ending up in Phoenix in the early '80s, where she formed the Mojomatics, a popular local band. Magness next relocated to Los Angeles in 1986. A debut cassette, More Than Live, appeared in the mid-'90s, with her first CD, It Takes One to Know One, appearing in 1996, followed by three more independent releases. Magness signed with NorthernBlues Music and Bury Him at the Crossroads was issued by the label in 2004, with Do I Move You? following two years later in 2006. Magness began to draw a lot of critical and fan attention, particularly in the blues community, and her career was in full swing, garnering an armful of blues awards. She signed with Alligator Records in 2008, which issued What Love Will Do that same year, following it with The Devil Is an Angel Too in 2010 and Stronger for It in 2012.
''WHAT LOVE WILL DO''
JUNE 10 2008
48:00
1. That's What Love Will Make You Do/3:21
2. I Want A Love/3:45
3. I'm Glad You're Mine/3:25
4. Bitter Pill/4:07
5. Fool Me Again/3:42
6. Get It, Get It/4:16
7. One Heartache Too Late/4:35
8. You Sound Pretty Good/2:27
9. I Don't Want You On My Mind/4:05
10. Don't Do It/2:55
11. I Won't Be Around/3:58
12. Freedom Is Just Beyond The Door/3:26
13. Sometimes You Got To Gamble/3:58
Julie Christensen /Vocals (Background)
Brie Darling /Percussion, Vocals (Background)
Dave Darling /Bass, Guitar, Handclapping, Percussion, Producer, Vocals (Background)
Donny Gerrard /Vocals (Background)
Justin Guarini /Choir/Chorus
Stephen Hodges /Drums, Handclapping, Percussion
Janiva Magness /Vocals, Handclapping, Producer
Mark Philpart /Vocals (Background)
Arlan Schierbaum /Clavinet, Keyboards, Organ (Hammond), Wurlitzer
Lee Thornburg /Horn, Trombone, Trumpet
Jeff Big Dad Turmes /Banjo, Bass, Composer, Guitar, Handclapping, Horn, Sax (Baritone), Sax (Tenor)
Michael "Junior" Watson /Guitar
John Whynot /Keyboards, Piano
Benny Yee /Keyboards
Red Young /Keyboards, Organ (Hammond), Wurlitzer
REVIEW
by Hal Horowitz
After over a decade of hard labor in the blues trenches, Janiva Magness finally gets a shot at the brass ring with her debut Alligator release. Six increasingly accomplished albums provided the studio experience in crafting her music for maximum dynamics, and the results show on this rollicking set of blues and R&B that kicks off with the Little Milton penned title track. As usual Magness finds terrific, generally obscure material, digging deep to unearth gems such as Teresa James' "I Want a Love" and even Annie Lennox's "Bitter Pill," an unusual choice on the surface but one that perfectly captures Magness' tougher edge. With more time and a larger budget, these songs are fleshed out with horns, organ, and background vocals. While that makes for a bigger production and a more immediate sound, Magness' magnificent voice occasionally gets lost in the mix. That's the case on upbeat tracks such as her version of an Ike Turner rarity "Get It, Get It," which features three guitars and brass. Ditto for a seemingly rushed version of Marvin Gaye's "Don't Do It" that might have sounded like a good idea on paper, but never catches fire because her vocals fight for attention in a somewhat cluttered mix. That's about the only downside for an album that delivers what anyone who has seen Magness live will love. She rips into ballads such as Gary Nicholson's Memphis-styled "Fool Me Again" with tenacity, and the stripped down arrangement allows her to bring a gritty emotional edge that Delbert McClinton, who could be considered the male counterpart to Magness, creates so effectively. Husband/multi-instrumentalist/songwriter Jeff Turmes' material, including "Sometimes You Got to Gamble," a ballad sung against his gospel piano and sparse bass, is moving and riveting. Another Turmes original "You Sound Pretty Good" brings a peppy New Orleans-styled horn arrangement and banjo to one of this disc's highlights. Bill Withers' "I Don't Want You on My Mind" gets down to its swampy soul in a cool, crawling arrangement featuring a slicing Turmes guitar solo. Earl Thomas' "I Won't Be Around" frames Magness' voice in a stark, near musical silence that allows her to tear into its emotional center. Although she's no newcomer, many might be exposed to Janiva Magness through this album due to Alligator's marketing and distribution muscle. It's a great place to start enjoying a veteran performer who burns through these songs like she's got everything to prove.
BIOGRAPHY
by Steve Leggett
Blues and soul singer Janiva Magness was no stranger to trouble and hard times growing up, and at her best, she pours that lifetime of emotion into her passionate phrasing and vocal delivery. Born in Detroit, Magness grew up with her father's blues and country record collection, as well as the city's wonderfully Motown pop-soul sound, all of which shaped her style and approach as a musician. She lost both of her parents to suicide while in her early teens, and she ended up living on the streets, channeled through endless foster homes, before becoming pregnant at the age of 17 and being forced to give up the child for adoption. Her personal and creative redemption came at an Otis Rush show in Minneapolis. Discouraged, stressed, and definitely underage, Magness snuck into the club and was transformed by Rush's performance. That was the moment, Magness maintains, that her vision of herself as a singer and musician began to take shape. She started out as a background singer, finally ending up in Phoenix in the early '80s, where she formed the Mojomatics, a popular local band. Magness next relocated to Los Angeles in 1986. A debut cassette, More Than Live, appeared in the mid-'90s, with her first CD, It Takes One to Know One, appearing in 1996, followed by three more independent releases. Magness signed with NorthernBlues Music and Bury Him at the Crossroads was issued by the label in 2004, with Do I Move You? following two years later in 2006. Magness began to draw a lot of critical and fan attention, particularly in the blues community, and her career was in full swing, garnering an armful of blues awards. She signed with Alligator Records in 2008, which issued What Love Will Do that same year, following it with The Devil Is an Angel Too in 2010 and Stronger for It in 2012.
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