RACHELLE COBA Mother Blues
Mono Records
This is the debut album by Blues girl Rachelle Coba but she is certainly not a newcomer to the Blues scene, over the years she has honed her skills and performed with some significant blues musicians including Super Chikan, Buddy Guy and more recently was Matt Murphy’s musical director. Besides having a pure blues Smokey vocal she is also very handy on her Fender Stratocaster and has written all but one track on the album, a complete performer, especially when you throw in that she has a degree for classical guitar. A couple of standout tracks to highlight, which illustrate her enormous skills; Between The Tracks is a slow blues with a catchy rhythm and some laid back guitar duelling with guest guitarist Jerry Hahn, on the bar room bluesy Telephone Song she ups the intensity with a pleading vocal and much grittier lead guitar work. There are ten studio tracks plus two bonus remixed songs, which include the aforementioned Between The Tracks and the opening CD song Never Been To Memphis, both these are the most commercial tracks on the album and are worthy to be heard twice, albeit with my untrained ears I cannot tell much difference between the two versions. A very promising debut release by an artist who plays a very slick and laid back style of Blues in the mould of Bonnie Raitt, significant praise I know but one which is richly deserved.
ADRIAN BLACKLEE
