4801 South Indiana Avenue

4801 South Indiana Avenue is Chicago guitar slinger Joanna Connors 14th album. Recorded in Nashville and co-produced by guitarists Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith, it is the sophomore release for the formers Keeping the Blues Alive (KTBA) label. Bonamassa wanted to work with Connor after seeing a viral video of her wild playing at a blues festival. She developed her singular chops for over 35 years, playing South and West side blues joints with Otis Rush, Lonnie Brooks, Dion Payton, Buddy Guy, and Luther Allison. The albums title was the street address of the legendary South side bar, Theresas Lounge -- Connor played there too. Bonamassa and Smith picked songs and hired the musicians (keyboardist Reese Wynans, drummer Lemar Carter, and bassist Calvin Turner, and a horn section). They insisted she play slide guitar exclusively without effects pedals -- they handled the rhythm chores. Far from a purists re-creation of Chicago blues, this offers a raw, unruly approach that aesthetically links Hound Dog Taylors house-rocking blues to George Thorogoods explosive energy and the Red Devils punk swagger. Destination, originally by Jimmy Thackerys Assassins, is a choogler framed by Wynans pumping piano, and, of course, Connors slide wrangling and throaty vocal. Guest Jimmy Hall adds sweet backing and harmony vocals. Wynans introduces Come Back Home with a boogie woogie left hand, establishing a no-quit groove for Turner and Carter. His solo moves afield underscoring Connors soulful vocal and slippery slide roil. Luther Allisons Bad News is especially resonant. Connor spent a decade opening for him on tours. Her vocal summons the haunted sorrow, dread, and heartache in the lyric with searing honesty. Her biting solo frames every turnaround with restless passion. I Feel So Good is a riotous boogie that Connor makes her own with declamatory singing and off-the-rails slide playing. Albert Kings For the Love of a Man is turned inside-out, reflecting feminine desire unburdened by societal norms. The strutting horns urge Connor on, as she delivers the protagonists want in her vocal, while her burning guitar solo underscores barely controllable erotic need. Lowell Fulsoms Trouble Trouble, once a vehicle for Otis Rush, offers Connors slide in a duel with Wynans soaring B-3 and punchy right-hand piano runs. Otis Clays Part Time Love was a hit for Little Johnnie Taylor in 1963. In Connors version, the strolling horns share the frontline with guitar breaks from her and Bonamassa. Closer Its My Time was penned by Smith. Its a steamy, smoky noir blues, to which Connor adds an original spoken lyric while trading licks with Bonamassa. Theyre buoyed by clattering tom-toms, swelling organ, and a bumping bassline. Musically, 4801 South Indiana Avenue is Connors most focused outing. It arguably showcases her world-class talent better than the others, simply because, unfettered from the practical concerns of a session, she can -- and does -- pursue this music for its own sake. With Bonamassa and Smith assisting, Connors performance offers her iconic playing, delivered with joyful abandon and plenty of attitude. ~ Thom Jurek