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Australian Blues Singer/Guitarist Fiona Boyes To Tour U.S. In Support Of New Lucky 13 CD On Yellow Dog Records Rising Australian blues star Fiona Boyes is set to tour the U.S. in support of her American debut CD, Lucky 13, to be released August 8 on Memphis-based Yellow Dog Records. Fiona Boyes was the winner of The Blues Foundation’s 2003 International Blues Challenge – the first Australian and the first woman to win the acoustic division of this prestigious event. Her magnetic stage presence and infectious smile have charmed audiences both in the US and abroad, as well as a who’s who of American blues legends who she now counts among her friends, including Pinetop Perkins, Bob Margolin, Alvin Youngblood Hart, and Hubert Sumlin, who enthused, “She’s got it, I’m tellin’ you… you know what I’m talkin’ about… I’ve played with them all, and she’s got it.” There’s so much to like on Lucky 13, produced by Mark “Kaz” Kazanoff: the pure country blues growl in her voice that carries the power of early country blues masters like Charley Patton or Son House; and her guitar playing, which alternates between precise acoustic finger picking stretches, slippery steel bodied guitar and explosive electric guitar grooves. Fiona penned 10 of the 13 songs on Lucky 13. Her understanding of American roots music and clever storytelling distinguish her songs from records which merely cover blues standards. Boyes’ contemporary sensibilities perfectly mix the soul of the blues in her songs to give this album a thoroughly fresh feel that is the real essence of the blues. Recorded in Austin, producer Kazanoff pulled out his “A-list” rolodex of world-class musicians from the Austin scene: his own Texas Horns (Los Lonely Boys), Barry “Frosty” Smith (Soul Hat), Derek O’Brien (Angela Strehli, Lou Ann Barton), Floyd Domino (Asleep at the Wheel, Merle Haggard), Riley Osbourne (Chris Smither, Lyle Lovett), Joel Guzman (Joe Ely, Los Super Seven), Larry Fulcher (Maria Muldaur, Taj Mahal), Chris Maresh (Eric Johnson), and others. Special guests include Marcia Ball, who plays piano on three tracks and does a vocal duet with Fiona on one song, and guitarist Bob Margolin, who flew in for the sessions. “I love the emotional investment of being able to record my own material,” says Fiona. “I really enjoy the challenge of writing the older, acoustic songs because I can tell about things that are happening to me now, but if I can couch the songs in blues phrases, I can give them my own twists yet make them sound like they are from the 1920s.” |
