LAURIE MORVAN

CURE WHAT AILS YA

2007-12-05

The third cut of this disc, "Where are the Girls with Guitars?", lays things out real plain: Laurie Morvan has had enough of the music business cliché that relegates women to the microphone while the men rip it up on guitar. She’s ready to grab six electric strings and take her turn with the power chord. I know what you’re thinking: there are plenty of women guitarists so what’s her beef? Well, with few exceptions many women guitarists strum along on rhythm while they sing without really taking on the lead guitar role. So is she up to the challenge? The answer is an unqualified “yes!!” Whether she’s throwing down fluid runs with a crystal clear tone as on "One Little Thing", ripping things up on the rocking instrumental "Wiggle Room" where she mixes rock and big doses of funk or works her way through a slow grinder, "Keep On Believin,’" Morvan demonstrates a feel for the guitar that puts her toe to toe with the majority of her male counterparts. But that’s only part of the story. While she has undeniable talent on guitar she’s also adept as a singer/songwriter. "Kickin’ Down Doors" foreshadows the potential for revolution as the fat cats keep their thumb on the common man. "A Long Time Ago" is a reflection on the uncertainty the creeps in as youthful truths give way to middle age doubts while "When I’m Queen" lays down just how right things would be if she could take charge. Her other self-penned tunes take on a variety of topics including satisfying relationships, "My Baby Says", and the heartbreak of not being able to have children, "Family Line". With a voice that sometime recalls Marcia Ball while other times evoking a harder rocking version of Deborah Coleman (another lady who knows her way around the guitar!) Morvan captivates your attention just as much on vocals as on guitar. Joined by special guests James “Hutch” Hutchinson on bass, Dona Oxford on piano, Sammy Avila on B3 and a host of others Morvan has crafted a fine disc of rock oriented blues. Smitty