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Sue Foley—Live in Austin Vol. 1—Stony Plain ASIN :

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Canadian singer/guitar slinger Sue Foley’s last album
‘Pinky’s Blues’ was very good and her previous one ‘The

Ice Queen’ was even better and for some reason I pre-
sumed this new one with its black and white cover
photo was old live recordings issued to cash in on these

albums’ success. It isn’t, these are live tracks recorded
in May 2023 at Austin’s Continental Club with Sue and
a small band of Corey Keller (drums), Jon Penner (bass) and Derek O’Brien (gui-

tar), with Sue’s husband Mike Flanigin producing (plus occasional backing vocals
from Angela Miller and Lauren Cervantes). We blast off with Sue’s own song ‘New
Used Car’ it’s raw and rocking with Sue’s guitar upfront and a pounding rhythm

section and ‘Walking Home’ is relentless up-tempo rockabilly.

‘Highwayside’ is a more poignant melodic ballad with a nifty guitar solo from Mr.
O’Brien and also nice backing vocals from the girls then Sue revisits Howlin’ Wolf’s

‘Howlin’ for My Darling’ from her 1995 album ‘Big City Blues’ with great interplay
between her and O’Brien’s guitars. ‘Queen Bee’ (a rewrite of Slim Harpo’s ‘King
Bee’) and the instrumental ‘Hooked on Love’ both appeared on her first LP 1992’s

‘Young Girl Blues’ and ‘Positively Fourth Street’ is a well-judged cover of the Dylan
song, a bit reminiscent of Lucinda Williams but for me more committed and
emotional. She also revisits Memphis Minnie’s ‘Me and My Chauffeur’ from that

first album, while ‘Better’ is from the 1996 album ‘Walk in the Sunshine’ and we
check out with the quite poppy ‘High Roller’. I enjoyed this record which is quite

raw and basic but I find Sue’s guitar playing very distinctive like a cross between
50s rock and roll and the West-Side Chicago blues players like Magic Sam. My only
complaint would be that at just over 40 minutes it’s a tad short and left me wanting
more but as its title is ‘Live in Austin Vol. 1’ hopefully we will get a further

instalment.

Graham Harrison

Liam Ward Band—Shine—Green Bullet Records

If you’re familiar with harmonica player/singer Liam
Ward from his work in The Rumblestrutters and The

Jake Leg Jug Band this album may be a bit of a shock as
here he plays with an electric band and plays amplified
Chicago-style blues harmonica. On opener ‘I Got Lucky’

Liam’s vocals reminded me of Paul Jones with his actor-
ly delivery but his harp playing is fine and ‘Stone in My
Shoe’ is similarly dramatic with a lovely plaintive harp

solo. ‘What’s Your Alibi?’ adds piano and backing vocals