Heart On The Line
Phenix Fire, 2020
8/10
It’s been a great year for Vanessa Collier, who won her 2nd BMA award for Horn Player of the Year, and she also released this 4th album, where funk, soul, rock, and, of course, blues are all in attendance and executed superbly.
“Superbad” starts the listen with plenty of soul, literally, as she sings about it, as much rhythm enters the upbeat formula on the James Brown cover, and the original “What Makes You Beautiful” follows with bright brass as Collier’s sublime pipes guide the breezy melodies.
Near the middle, “Leave Your Hat On” offers a punchy blues setting of cautious instrumentation, while “Take A Chance On Me” flows percussively strong amid a spirited guitar solo from Lauren Chavez and thundering brass. “Weep And Moan”, one of the album’s best, then creates an emotive mood of acrobatic guitar solos alongside much emphasis on atmosphere.
Close to the end, funk enters the playful “Freshly Squozen”, and the title track exits the listen with no shortage of drumming in the New Orleans flavored climate where horns from Quinn Carson and Doug Woolverton make an impression.
A formally educated artist, Collier is a graduate of the prestigious Berklee College of Music, and she handles alto, tenor and baritone sax, as well as resonator guitar and cowbell across the affair. A highly creative and unpredictable blues-rock listen, Collier certainly proves just why she’s received so much attention since her debut in 2014, and it really seems like she’s just getting started on a lengthy, esteemed career.
Travels well with: Gina Sicilia- Love Me Madly ; Kat Riggins- Cry Out