Produced by Lady A and her long time Music Director, Producer, band member and Songwriter, John Oliver III.
" This CD is dedicated to my Little Play Brother, Producer, Best friend and Prayer Partner, Pastor John Oliver lll aka JO3 aka (L.N.) for being the person who believed in me from the beginning, for being there for the amazing musical journey and for sticking with me during tough times. I thank God for you being the Musical talent you are. Thank you from my soul .... Our family-friendship is truly “Satisfyin' ".
Lady A, you know, the blues singer, the REAL Lady A -
" If you don't like being a doormat then get off the floor "
Working as part of " Can't Stop The Blues" during the pandemic gave unprecedented access to music and artists that might not have gotten the recognition under ordinary circumstances. We became involved in the lives of the artists presented on the nightly streaming platform. Thus, we were taken by surprise, and equally shocked, to learn about the lawsuit between Lady A, the blues singer who has been trading under the name for over 20 years, and Lady Antebellum, the country trio from Nashville. Seems the Nashville folks decided that their name reflected too much of a Civil War-era slavery reference. Changing the longer " Lady Antebellum " to a shorter " Lady A " followed the racial tensions heightened by the killing of George Floyd. So, the folks from Nashville sue " Lady A “, Anita White, claiming trademark infringement and it is up to Anita White to abandon the name. Lawyers on both sides, and plenty of court filings, only escalate the conflict. According to recent court filings a settlement has been reached but the outcome is unclear.
Bettye LaVette - " You have taken our culture, our music, our artistic ability, at least leave us our name".
Anita White believes " an insult to me as a musician and as a black woman that they say " black lives matter " and then take my own name away from me".
Lady A, Anita, knows she is not the first to have to fight - " I think of artists who came before me, like Denise LaSalle, one of my idols in the blues. Ella Fitzgerald, Rosetta Tharpe, Big Mama Thornton. They had a hard time, but they made it".
" This is my life. Lady A is my brand, I've used it for over 20 years, and I'm proud of what I've done”, she has said. "This is too much right now. They're using the name because of a Black Lives Matter incident that, for them, is just a moment in time. If it mattered, it would have mattered to them before. It shouldn't have taken George Floyd to die for them to realize that their name had a slave reference to it...I don't know if (the new Lady A) are going to give me a cease-and-desist. I don't know how they'd react. But I'm not about to stop using my name ".
Lady A's drive has earned her the title " The Hardest Workin' Woman in Blues, Soul, Funk, and Gospel “. Her gospel background, Louisiana roots, and her musical family always led her back to blues and gospel music, mixed with flavors of soul and funk, the perfect jambalaya, a boldly delicious musical stew packed with plenty of spice.
" Satisfyin’ is dedicated to John Oliver lll who has always supported Lady A and believed in her and once again participated as a multi-instrumentalist on this 9th release. Highlights include:
* " Heaven Help us All - beautifully sung, deeply soulful, a song reaching out far and wide to everyone who is struggling, those in pain, the confused and desperate - “I turn on my TV/So much to see/And most of its bad news/The noise and the hatred, the nonsense desensitize me/Can I change my view/This rage inside/Lord, it makes, makes my head hurt sometimes.”
* " Miss Beula Mae " - a tribute to the owner of a juke joint that has “a house full of music and cabbage soup and all the chicken you want “- “Miss Beula Mae wore a size 22/Got four or five men that just don’t know what to do/Look, her wig might be crooked, but she takes care of business.” - sounds like a live track and we can hear the sound of the crowd at the end of the track.
* " Big Mama " - " I'm fat and beautiful from my feet to my breasts " - features John Studamires great bass line; John Oliver, keys and the horns; Roz Royster McCommon with his soul-stirring backing vocals.
* "Blues On My Mind” is a song about living in blues music, writing and singing the blues. This song acknowledges the impact and influence of some of the other blues greats that have come before, including Nina Simone, Denise LaSalle, and Bettye LaVette. Features John Oliver's bass solo and Joe Seamons stirring harp work.
* “Whatever You Do,” a first-rate blues number about seizing the moment and doing your best to make your life wonderful - “Find a way to keep your passion strong.”
* “For The People in The Back (All I Got) - “They tried to take my name, but my name is all I got.” Lady A delivers an understandably passionate vocal performance. “I’ve come too far to turn around/I can’t, I won’t stop now/They keep on trying/To make me insane.” And in a very different turn around, in a spoken word section, Lady A thanks Margo Price for saying that Lady A should be invited to perform at the Grand Ole Opry. With utter defiance she declares, “So I’m going to keep this name.”
"Satisfyin' “clearly shows that Lady A's musical world is filled with endless possibilities - on stage and off. Here we get a serving of a delicious musical platter that is not afraid to be bold and daring, taking chances, being defiant, something to be enjoyed over and over again. Plenty of talented people here, clearly having a good time, making music that matters - to them - to us - to everyone. Filled with positive vibes and slices of hope “Satisfyin' " is heartily recommended and a must have for music fans.
Nominated for 2022 Washington Blues Society Best in Blues Performer of the Year, Best Blues Album ( Satisfyin) and Best Blues Vocalist; Voted 2020 and 2021 Female Blues Performer of the Year by the Washington Blues Society (WBS); Nominated by the Soul Cafe Awards 2021 as Best Female Blues Performer of the Year; serving as Host DJ on Lady A's Gumbo n Gospel on Sunday mornings and Lady A's Black n Blues both on NWCZ online radio; as well as Host DJ for Lady A's The Boss on KMRE FM 102.3 Bellingham radio station. On the Board of Directors, vocal coach and mentor in the Rhapsody Music project for Americana, Folks and Blues Students of the program. As well as a Touring Artist, Producer, Vocalist, Community Activist, Storyteller and Songwriter, Lady A also brings musicians to the Seattle area under Lady A Productions for live performances in Blues and Gospel artist, and has served as MC of the Winthrop Rhythm & Blues Festival All-Star Jam and a part of the Methow Valley Juke Joint All-Stars band 7 years running....
Comments