Dana Fuchs - Love to Beg

Ruf Records

www.danafuchs.com

13 Tracks: 50mins 54

Dana Fuchs was born in New Jersey and raised in Florida and by sixteen, after singing with the First Baptist Gospel Choir in her home town, she began singing in public. At sixteen, she fronted a popular local band at a local Holiday Inn. Dana has a powerful voice and it comes as no surprise to me that she sung the part of Janice Joplin in a version of the musical play Love Janice, in an off-Broadway production.

Dana with her band, including the producer of this record John Diamond (who plays guitar in the band) have toured in the US, Canada, the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany and Norway and as I write are about to front the Maryport Blues Festival in the UK following the withdrawal of the previous headliners, the Fabulous Thunderbirds. Well nice going!!

The CD is superb with twelve tracks, ranging from the fiery to the thoughtful. All the songs, with one exception, are Fuchs/ Diamond originals and from the first notes come with a band of exemplary musicians (special mention here to drummer Carter McLean and bass man Whynot Jansveldt (is that his real first name?) and an accolade for the excellent Hammond stuff from Glen Patscha. A fabulous BIG sound with phenomenal drive.

The only cover in the set is the Otis Redding original I’ve Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now) and it is outstanding, really full of emotion and fully justifying its inclusion in the set. The remainder of the songs are a mix of hard edged blues-tinged rockers and nicely arranged slower pieces. There is an edge of contemporary ‘new country’ in the mix on one or two of the tracks and it works really well. This one was a wonderful surprise. Nice stuff Dana. Keep on keeping on..