LINDSAY BEAVER

TOUGH AS LOVE

2018-11-15

Vocalist and drummer Lindsay Beaver hails from Canada where she spent several years fronting the 24th Street Wailers over the course of five discs. These days she makes her home in Austin, TX. On this, her Alligator Records debut, her new band consisting of Brad Stivers on guitar and Josh Williams on bass is joined by a number of high-profile guests including Marcia Ball, Laura Chavez, Sax Gordon, Matt Farrell and Dennis Gruenling. The result is a release that refuses to be pigeon-holed as the same old blues. Instead, Beaver channels everything from Little Richard and Chuck Berry style driving rockers, "What A Fool You’ve Been" and "Dangerous", respectively, 50’s doo wop influenced rock, "Too Cold To Cry", slow, scorching guitar blues that would be at home on a Buddy Guy disc," Lost Cause, Chicago infused harmonica blues, "You’re Evi"l, and roots rock, "She’ll Be Gone" and "Don’t Be Afraid of Love". Vocally, Beaver mostly leaves nuance to her peers and, instead, inhabits the forceful, in-your-face, almost shouted, style of Barrence Whitfield or Little Richard which serves this material very well. That’s not to say that she isn’t a talented singer; she is as is clearly revealed when the band shifts to a lower gear on "You Hurt Me" and" Lost Cause". That said, the fun in this disc resides in Beaver’s exuberance as she rips through the material. A great debut on the national blues stage. SMITTY

review by Mark