MISTY BLUES

Web site : https://www.mistybluesband.com/

Band founder and lead singer, Gina Coleman, entered the music scene in the early 90’s as the lead singer of the folk/rock group Cole-Connection. It wasn’t until 1999 when she played a gospel singer in the Williamstown Theatre Festival production of A Raisin In The Sun that she was steered down the path of blues. The lead actor in the production, Rubin Santiago-Hudson, told Coleman that he felt her... voice was well suited to sing classic blues. This sentiment was echoed by actor/singer, Mandy Patinkin, who sought her out after seeing the opening performance of the production. After actress Gwyneth Paltrow commented on her performance, Coleman knew a musical shift was imminent. Guitarist Jason Webster and bassist Bill Patriquin from Cole-Connection were on board and thus began Misty Blues.

With a deficit of blues music in the Berkshires at the time, they felt the musical change would be well received. Misty Blues pays homage to the older blues made popular by the bold and brassy women of its time, while still paying respect to classic male artists of the 20’s, 30’s and 40’s. The band hasn’t completely abandoned their musical roots; they have been known to perform classic rock and folk tunes infused with a healthy dose of the blues. Over the years, Misty Blues has produced five studio albums, Electric Juke Joint features classic blues renditions, Roadhouse Revival is a danceable twist on traditional gospel music, Between The Stacks their completely original album with Charles Neville on sax, With All Due Respect pays homage to the earliest songs of the genre, and Dark & Saucy is an original project toggling between introspective and playfully sassy creations. The core members are Gina Coleman, Jason Webster, Bill Patriquin, Jeff Dudziak, Ben Kohn, Rob Tatten and Aaron Dean.

            NEW ALBUM RELEASE : NONE MORE BLUE 

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, None More Blue, from Misty Blue and it's a cool, dark blues interpretation. Opening with My One and Only, lead singer, Gina Coleman sets the pace with a tight band. With Seth Fleischmann on guitar, Bill Patriquin on bass, Benny Kohn on keys, Rob Tatten on drums and Aaron Dean on sax, this is a solid opener. With strong lead guitar over a rumbling bass and drum rhythm, and wailing sax by Dean, this track is super. With a funky, jazzy, rhythm, These Two Veils is a mover with a great bass line and trumpet accents by Patriquin and sassy lead guitar by Fleischmann. Dean is always there with soulful sax lines and Kohn's glistening keyboard work adds nicely to Coleman's vocal lead. Very nice. One of my favorite tracks on the release is Change My Luck, which puts me in mind of Muddy Waters. Gritty vocals by Coleman and nicely executed harmonica riffs by Ed Moran over great tension provided by Kohn's organ gives this track real traction. Blues rocker, Ready To Play, has a firm drum stick by Diego Mongue and again with Moran contributing nicely on harp, sets a solid stage for Coleman's vocal lead. Kohn drives the organ up and Patriquin's trumpet and Dean's sax work nicely ice the track. Step Right Up has a different type of hook that would seem to work well for radio with it's bouncy beat and fluid melody line, cool bass lines by Mongue, and interwoven sax by Dean and guitar soloing by Fleischmann. Down home country blues styling on Days Gone By features Coleman on cigar box guitar and vocal, with only minimal backing on guitar and percussion. Light and fun. Wrapping the release is Nothing to Lose with Dan Eskop on bass, Mongue on drums, Richard Boulger on trumpet Wendy Lipp on vocal, Rob Tatten, Moran, Kohn and Patriquin on backing vocal and  fat horn work by Tatten on trombone, Patriquin on trumpet and Dean on sax. Very cool closer for a solid release.