Michelle Willson might not be trying to become the next Big Mama
Thornton of the blues/jazz world. All she seems to want to do is to
continue to sing the music that she loves and have as much fun with
it as she can.
Her latest offering,
Tryin’ To Make A Little Love, is proof that she is doing
exactly what she wants to and has mastery of her domain, even if it
needs another coat of polish or two.
If you pick this album up hoping to hear just a blues album or
just a jazz album, chances are you’ll be disappointed. Willson
won’t allow herself to be penned into just one style, and hops from
one (“Ay La Bas”, “Half Past The Blues”) to the other (“Life Rolls
On”, “Corazon de Hielo”) almost effortlessly. If, however, you pick
up this album with no expectations, then you’re in for a treat.
There are a few times where it feels like Willson isn’t putting
enough emotion into what she’s singing, especially on the title
track – not a good first impression, seeing it leads off the disc.
But things quickly change for the better, as heard on cuts like “I
Would Rather Do Without It,” “Responsibility” and “Guess You Didn’t
Love Me Enough”.
What is surprising about
Tryin’ To Make A Little Love is that Willson co-wrote only a
few of the 13 songs on the album; I would have expected her to have
had more of a say in the songwriting. However, she does choose
selections from a worthy bunch of songwriters, including Joan
Osborne, Dan Penn, Doc Pomus, Johnny Otis and Mac “Dr. John”
Rebennack.
Especially interesting to me was the track “Corazon de Hielo,”
which adds a Latin flavor to the music and just enough spice to
liven up the album. Even if you don’t know Spanish, this track is a
charmer.
The only real negatives about this album are that it may
disappoint the blues purists out there, and it does take a little
time to really get into this album. It wasn’t until the third
listen that I really started to find a lot on
Tryin’ To Make A Little Love to appreciate – but it was
worth the time and effort.
Willson might soon be hailed as one of the next great blues
belters out there, and
Tryin’ To Make A Little Love, even with its small flaws, is
definitely a resume booster.
