Throughout this past year-and-a-half-going-on-two, it’s been hard to find much to get excited about. If you’re like me, it seems, much like with coronavirus, everything has lots its flavor. Sue Foley’s Pinky’s Blues may just be part of the antidote.
A native of Ottawa, Canada transplanted in Austin, Texas, Foley says she had an epiphany as a teen at a performance by the late James Cotton, and she’s been dedicated to the blues ever since. With superb guitar technique and a tinge of Patsy Cline to her vocal style, she had a successful career, with a plethora of excellent albums including her promising 1992 debut, Young Girl Blues, Love Comin’ Down in 2000, and her collaborations with Peter Karp – He Said She Said and Beyond the Crossroads. And she has lately maintained her steady solo career with The Ice Queen in 2018 and now Pinky’s Blues.
If you’re looking for some honest, straight-forward blues to help shake the pandemic-era blues, Pinky’s Blues is a good place to start. The more I listen to it, the better I like it. The album covers a range of blues styles – all very well. Among the highlights are the hard-driving title track; the garage-rock tinged “Southern Men” (listen below), the countryfied “Think It Over,” and the funky instrumental “Okie Dokie Stomp.”
Joining Foley on this excellent album were bassist Jon Penner, drummer Chris “Whipper” Layton, and keyboardist Mike Flanigan.
About the author: Bill Wilcox is a roots music enthusiast recently relocated from the Washington, DC area to Philadelphia, PA and back again.