Laurie Morvan is a Stevie Ray Vaughan devotee based
in Southern California. When she isn't performing,
she works as a college math instructor. For her third
album, a self-produced collection of 12 blues-rock originals
with pop and folk flourishes, Morvan dispersed her regular
touring band (exept for bassist Pat Morvan and backing
vocalists Lisa (Grubbs) Morvan and Carolyn Kelley) in favor os
seasoned players with connections: B-3 organist Sammy
Avila (Walter Trout), drummer Tony Braunagel (Taj Mahal),
bassist James "Hutch" Hutchinson (Bonnie
Raitt), and well-traveled pianists Doña Oxford
and George Duke.
This polished set offers few surprises for those familiar
with the work of artists such as Debbie Davies, Deborah
Coleman, Michelle Malone, and Ana Popovic. But Morvan's
lyrics deserve scrutiny - especially the poignant
"Family Line," which includes lines such
as "I've got my mother's eyes/They're my little
piece of home/I always thought I would give them/To
a child of my own." The strikingly autobiographical
dirge is Morvan's mea culpa to her mother for not producing
grandchildren.
In contrast to that tune's stabbing melancholy,
Morvan rocks hard on strident anthems "Kickin'
Down Doors" and "Where Are the Girls With
Guitars." She proves adept at tough shuffles on
"My Baby Says" and "A Long Time Ago,"
then switches to slide for the swampy pep talk of "Don't
Give It Up." The disc's lone instrumental,
the wah-wah-infused "Wiggle Room," directly
recalls Vaughan. Morvan's sweet, soaring voice
will draw comparisons to Raitt, and her wiry, fiery
solos demonstrate that she's in full command of
her Stratocaster. For fans of any of the aforementioned
artists, Laurie Morvan's most personal album to
date is a fitting introduction to an artist who deserves
recognintion beyond the West Coast.
