Love Me Madly
Blue Élan, 2020
9/10
A blues and soul singer from Pennsylvania who currently resides in Nashville, Gina Sicilia takes some fine help from Cody and Luther Dickinson, of North Mississippi Allstars fame, to help her flesh out this 9th album of her genre defying song craft.
Sicilia starts the album strong with her powerful pipes guiding the soulful, percussively focused “Like The World Has Never Seen”, and “Hey Love” follows with horns and warm melodies highlighting the spirited atmosphere.
Near the middle, “Gotta Be A Way” brings a full setting of bluesy dynamics amid plenty of soul, while “Misery With You” has Luther Dickinson’s slide guitar prowess contributing much to the elegance. “Love Me Madly”, one of the album standouts, then moves with plenty of emotion as Sicilia’s voice impresses us even more while strings emit an orchestral backdrop alongside plenty of pop influences, too.
Close to the end, “How My Dreams They Go”, another track with Luther, glides with a swift pace of soothing background vocals and a punchy rock feel, and “Answer The Phone” exits the listen with Sicilia hitting some high notes as piano accompanies her timeless approach.
Sicilia purposely made this effort a bit grittier in nature, and that aspect certainly helps make Love Me Madly a standout in her exceptional catalog of music. She sure was wise to have Cody produce and play the bulk of the instruments on what will most likely be one of the best soul records this year.
Travels well with: Black Pistol Fire- Deadbeat Graffiti; North Mississippi Allstars- Up And Rolling