Vanessa Collier: Do It My Own Way Review
Merely a dozen years ago, Blues Hall of Famer Joe Louis Walker appeared in Buffalo NY. On that tour, Walker had surrounded himself with young musicians from Berklee College of Music.
Among them was young saxophonist Vanessa Collier, who immediately captured the attention of the audience with considerable talent and charismatic stage presence.
Since that time, Collier has provided dynamic leadership to her own band and has risen through the ranks of blues musicians to be among contemporaries such as Susan Tedeschi and Ruthie Foster. Along the way, she has garnered legions of fans through her live shows and racked up a series of albums that she absolutely owns. She has also earned four Horn Player of the Year Blues Music Awards (BMA).
Her new album, Do It My Own Way, from Phenix Fire Records, is a strong offering of eight eclectic tunes demonstrating Collier’s versatility and strength as a writer and musician. In addition to writing all the music and lyrics for all the songs, she plays saxophone, flute, slide and resonator guitars, all while delivering powerful vocals throughout the offering.
For this, her sixth record, Collier has assembled a strong band including BMA winner Laura Chavez on guitar, Rev. Charles Hodges on organ, Scot Sutherland on bass, drummer Byron Cage, Doug Woolverton on trumpet with Tray Macias providing percussion.
Equally adept at blues, rock, funk, and soul, a release accompanying the new album explained, “She envisioned this as a classic-sounding soul album. It was inspired by the classic Memphis Stax soul sound and especially the Staple Singers.”
With a musician like Collier it’s difficult to translate her charisma, so evident in live shows, into a recording. But this album manages to come close to capturing Collier’s considerable stage presence and engaging personality. Quality production, strong vocals and expert musicianship permeate the album.
The title track, “Do It My Own Way” offers up a great swampy tune with autobiographical lyrics summing up her determination and ability to drive her own career.
In it, she declares, “But I refuse to play by those rules /Won’t even play the game/’Cause I got too much self respect.” Without reservation, she unashamedly declares her intent to buck the music business penchant for glitz over substance. The song also contains a theme of women’s experiences evident throughout the album.
An homage to Sister Rosetta Tharpe, whom she calls, “the original soul sister,” is a really fun, upbeat gospel-based song, simply entitled, “Rosetta.” In it, Collier says, “I’d like to follow in her footsteps/ And redefine a sound.” These lyrics demonstrate her self-confidence and help explain her growing success. She is not afraid to say exactly what she’s pursuing.
The opening track, “Elbow Grease,” is a horn-infused, funky number that offers a great opening to the album, while “Wild As A Rainstorm” offers a contrasting personal and heartfelt introspective.
Two songs, “Take Me Back,” and “Shoulda Known Better,” provide counterpoints to the album, noting not everything goes as planned. “Take Me Back” laments a failed relationship. But it, too, is a soulful song featuring Collier’s saxophone and infectious percussion. “Shoulda Known Better,” is another upbeat song featuring trumpet, sax and funky backing from Chavez.
“Just One More” is a tribute to Collier’s ability to evoke strong imagery through her songs as the listener can easily envision dancers gliding through a dimly lit classic juke joint.
The final track, “Warrior,” a tribute to her mother, portrays a dramatic and emotional story of a woman headed for a reckoning with evil forces. It features Collier’s resonator guitar and a delicate understated Chavez solo punctuating a haunting gospel-blues track.
Blues Traveler guitarist Chan Kinchla, for whom Collier’s band has been opening recently, summed them up perfectly, saying, “Vanessa Collier is an amazing multifaceted musician.” He added, “Great songs. Great Sax, great voice. Kick azzz band. What else could you want?”
The Review 8.5/10
Can’t Miss Tracks
– Do It My Own Way
– Rosetta
– Warrior
– Wild As A Rainstorm
The Big Hit
– Do It My Own Way