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opening act. In her career she has worked with artists such as; Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker,
Millie Jackson, Bo Diddley, KoKo Taylor, and quite a few others.
Lady J moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, where she resided for 25 years performing with her band
Lady J Huston & The Fireballs, performing at various concert halls, Blues and Jazz festivals,
nightclubs and private corporate events. She received her first Blues award in 2009 from The
Las Vegas Black Music Association (BMA) for Best Blues Performer, which began her reign as
the Las Vegas Queen of the Blues.
One of her many rewards was to be inducted into the Entertainment Consumers' Exchange &
Fans Entertainment Hall of Fame in 2013. In 2018 she gained the “Women in Arts” award from
The National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution. In 2021 Lady J won the National
Blues Museum's song writing competition on the pandemic with the number ‘Corona You Make
Me Sick’. She is the only local performer featured in their current "Pandemic Blues" exhibit. In
March 2023 Lady J accepted Albert King’s induction into the St. Louis Classic Rock Preservation
Society Hall of Fame (2022) on behalf of his family.
This collection of 12 numbers is a mixture of 9 new Huston written or co-written and 3 old
numbers. It has not only sophisticated orchestration and production but, also enticing slinky
musical performances. There are over thirty musicians on this album including the 18-piece
Jazz Edge Orchestra from St. Louis. Lady J herself is on lead vocals, trumpet and flugelhorn.
The opener is ‘Your Call’, a succulent sweet mixture of luscious and lascivious bawdy blues.
The vocal is fiercely delivered by LJ over sweet horns and guitar. ‘Mean Stud Lover’s Blues’
stridently continues this theme and features a sweetly insistent trumpet and saxophone
accompaniment. ‘I Want A Man Like That’, is a splendid, charging jazz-filled rendition of a
number her mother recorded with The Chick Finney combo in 1963. ‘Tearing Me Apart’, is a
heartrending, soul fuelled richly felt ballad of despair about the other woman. On ‘Born Under
a Bad Sign’, LJ displays some serious attitude with her trumpet and vocals on this R&B infused
classic. The guitar still stings! ‘Corona, You Make Me Sick!’ is given a trumpet driven, slow
Rhumba groove.
The affecting slow burning big band horns of The Jazz Edge Orchestra on ‘Hide-Away’ combine
well with the vibrant vocals of LJ and an urging, jazz rich guitar. The insistent, sophisticated
swaying soul of ‘Groove Me Baby’ makes it a lovely slow floor duster. ‘Messin’ ‘Round On Da
Bayou’, is a splendid New Orleans influenced, slowly grooving and tripping funker, that is
dedicated to the memory of LJ’s late drummer Jimmy Prima (nephew of the legendary Louis
Prima).
The swinging ‘500 Pounds Good Gizzay’, is another number that LJ’s mother Loyce recorded
many years ago and still spares nobody’s blushes. A grooving trumpet led instrumental of ‘Mean
Stud Lover’s Blues’, is one of two extra numbers, the other is a live rendition of the Etta James
classic ‘At Last’. Nobody can best Etta but, this very nice version, deserves some serious
consideration.
Highly Recommended!
Brian Harman