The Americana and roots music authority

Romi Mayes CD Lucky Tonight

Romi Mayes
Lucky Tonight
MeM Records MMACD 1045
****
AH
Kick Ass Blues from the type of woman my Mother warned me about.

Romi Mayes Christian name is pronounced ‘Raw-me’ and a finer description of her singing and playing style I couldn’t make up; as her 5th album is just that – Raw.

All of the songs are so strong I presumed that they were a Greatest Hits set; but apparently not. Teaming up with ‘guitar demon’ Jay Nowicki the two recorded this album of brand new material at a sold out concert in Winnipeg on a freezing cold Winter’s evening in 2010 with only the addition of the occasional kick and snare drum from Ken McMahon.

Title track Lucky Tonight owes a lot to the Mary Chapin-Carpenter song of the same name; but this sounds more like Janis Joplin jamming with a pre-addictions Eric Clapton and Make You Love Me is as smouldering and sexy as the Blues ever gets as Romi lets her man know that she wants him and, by Jove she’s going to get him and send him back home a quivering mess.

Nowicki’s guitar playing throughout is staggering and baring in mind it’s generally only the two of them playing their electric guitars it made me wonder why anyone bothers a backing band!

Album closer, I Will finds Romi playing the electric piano and pleading with her lover not to let her leave him and is as fine an ending to an album as I’ve heard in years.

This is a ‘live’ album and as such the production leaves a little to be desired but I would give my left testicle to hear an album by Romi Mayes and a full band produced by some hot shot Producer in Chicago because it would take the Blues World by storm.

Look out World – Romi Mayes is coming!

www.romimayes.com

Tags: Mayes, Romi, blues, canadian, winnipeg

Comment by Shane on November 22, 2011 at 5:18pm: Raw is the word. Great album.

Comment by Ian Timshel on November 24, 2011 at 7:57pm: Live at the West End Cultural Centre in Winnipeg Manitoba. It was brilliant fun. There was a fellow singing some really nice harmony sometimes too. Not sure what his name was. I remember her playing a full sized piano. Romi appeared to be really nervous about the evening. Jay was on it. Man he was focused that night.

Comment by Mike Baudic on November 25, 2011 at 9:14am: The recording of this album was a magic night, a thrilling one-take performance. The harmony vocalist was Romi's long-time confederate Jaxon Haldane. If its the 'full band produced by some hot shot producer' sound you crave, Romi's previous two records were produced by no less than Gurf Morlix and feature a host of great musicians from Winnipeg's rich roots music community.

Comment by Alan Harrison on November 25, 2011 at 9:23am: Mike; what I've found is a lot different from this; more Bluegrassy/Rootsier.....unless you know different.

Comment by Ian Timshel on November 25, 2011 at 10:04am: She's at her raw best when she's playing live. This current duo is potent.

Comment by Mike Baudic on November 25, 2011 at 9:42pm: Alan; Romi's records have gotten progressively blusier and her partnership with Jay Nowicki has pretty much complete that journey. Nowicki's other project is a longstanding, rollicking blues trio called the Perpetrators. Previously she has kept company with a few great country outfits, Andrew Neville and the Poor Choices, and The Webber Brothers. Her first couple of records were made with a group of musicians who had roots in a thriving local folk and bluegrass scene. All of those records have their own charms. The one consistent thing is a great songwriter with a heartbreaking voice.

Comment by Alan Harrison on November 26, 2011 at 2:00am: I definately agree about the voice and I genuinely believe she has a 'great' Blues album in her waiting to get out.

Comment by Roger Osburn on January 4, 2012 at 2:26pm: I haven't heard this one yet but the discs she recorded w/ Gurf Morlix in the producer's seat were nothing short of brilliant!