Description
The legendary Canadian blues woman Sue Foley has an out-of-the-ordinary mastery of the guitar and blues vocabulary, as well as being a great songwriter and vocalist. With nearly thirty years of career and dozens of albums released, Foley has proved beyond a reasonable doubt why she deserves her prominent place in the modern blues rock scene. However, far from settling down, she introduces us to her brand new album, Pinky’s Blues, named after her pink paisley Fender Telecaster.
Armed with the iconic instrument and supported by drummer Chris Layton and bassist Jon Penner, Foley dwells in the Texas blues heritage and blazes through a clever assemblage of covers and originals. Most of the selections are upbeat but when Foley shifts into the bittersweet ballad “Think It Over,” her supple, emotional voice—arguably her most enticing asset—is spotlighted. Still, as the disc’s title implies, this is predominantly a guitar showcase. Foley doesn’t slash the frets, rather keeping her six-string solos cool and classy by never overplaying for the sake of it.
This results in a fine, frisky 45 minutes of organic blues that feels as natural, rootsy, and unpretentious as the conditions under which it was recorded. You can practically see the smiles on the players, always an indicator of music made without commercial considerations that come from the hearts of the participants.
