Diunna GREENLEAF - Trying To Hold On (2011)





_{Styles: Modern Electric Texas & Chicago Blues
Recorded: 2009/2011
Released: 2011
Label: Blue Mercy
Time: 58:04}


Tracks:

1. Be For Me - 4:09
2. Sunny Day Friends - 3:40
3. Growing Up And Growing Old - 6:23
4. Beautiful Hat - 2:49
5. I Can't Wait - 3:45
6. Taking Chances - 4:11
7. Tryin' To Hold On - 5:43
8. You Don't Feel That Way About Me - 4:28
9. I'm A Little Mixed Up - 4:06
10. Double Dealing - 4:28
11. He Is Everything To Me-Grandmother Sings - 1:48
12. He Is Everything To Me-Diunna Sings - 2:32
13. I Got a Notion to Leave - 3:29
14. 'Cause I'm A Soldier - 6:33

Personnel:

Diunna GREENLEAF - Vocals
Anson Funderburgh, Bob Margolin, Smokin' Joe Kubek
Josh Preslar, Chris James, John Del Toro Richardson - Guitars
John Rapp - Slide Guitar
Rich Del Grosso - Mandolin
Bob Corritore, Billy Branch - Harmonica
John Street - Hammond B3 Organ, Piano
Ron Jones - Saxophone
Mookie Brill, Johnny Bradley, Patrick Rynn, Josh Preslar - Bass
Chuck Cotton, Wes Starr, Vernon Daniels - Drums

Note: Diunna Greenleaf is without a doubt one of our modern day blues divas who keeps on writing and producing contributions to the genre while preserving the legacy of its rich and complex history. Her fusion of gospel and soul with classic blues riffs and shuffles consistently meets the expectations of her audience and are generally a pleasure to just sit back, listen to, and enjoy the eight originals, out of twelve total songs on her latest release, Trying To Hold On.
Appropriately, “Be For Me” is track one. You wanted Diunna? Well I certainly got it out of the gate. An endearing story is well told with simple and relevant playing. Bob Corritore on harmonica in the solo and throughout the song accompanied by Bob Margolin (guitar on four other tracks on the project), Chuck Cotton on drums (also four other tracks), and a favorite of many, Mookie Brill on upright bass. Producer and engineer Corritore and Clarke Rigsby use a more stripped-down and organic style on track one and five others in an open hall sound, keeping the gritty buzz and funky stank on thangs at their digs in Tempe, Arizona.
“Sunny Day Friends” is one I like because, if I had my way, I’d put horns, B3, and, not present here, strings on everything. One can clearly hear a distinction between the different rooms and production approaches between this second track and the two others that were recorded in Houston, Texas, by Anson Funderburgh and Paul Osbourne, who take a conventional recording approach. “The Beautiful Hat” and two other tracks were recorded in Houston with Diunna producing and were engineered and mixed by Sinclair Ridley and Clarke Rigsby. Rich Del Grosso brings the folky and fabulous contribution of mandolin that so many forget is historic and prevalent in the art form. These recordings sound multitracked.
The rogue studio on the album located in Salina, Kansas, where the tenth track, “Double Dealing,” was recorded and produced by Chad Kassem, bringing us straight-up, no-nonsense, three-piece blues that works anywhere and everywhere. I must identify the original cassette recording of Diunna’s 102-year-old grandmother Sylvie Travis singing the spiritual “He is Everything To Me.” She is a true inspiration and a bridge for our music generation. Blues of many styles but, still all blues!!! ~~ by Blues Revue.
_{Quelle:http://bluesrevue.com}


Remi