Woman plays the blues

Reviewed June 2007

L.A.'s Laurie Morvan is a member of that still all-too-rare club of female lead blues guitarists. On her third release, Morvan shows strong chops on guitar and a good ear for writing accessible songs. The overall result is an easy-to-listen-to blues-rock hybrid, not so different from what better-known artists like Robert Cray and Bonnie Raitt have been creating for the last few decades.

While Morvan credits the late Stevie Ray Vaughan as a specific influence, her playing is far more reminiscent of former Roomful of Blues guitarist Ronnie Earl. It's got that Texas twang, but with a jazz musician's restraint and even elegance. She's far more interested in playing well than in playing fast.

As a singer, Morvan sounds a lot like Louisiana swamp blues singer Marcia Ball. She doesn't show much range here, but has a nice growl and warm tones. And for someone who lives in SoCal and grew up in Illinois, she's sure got a drawl to her singing.

Review by Jim Trageser. Jim is a writer and editor living in Escondido, Calif., and was a contributor to the "Grove Press Guide to Blues on CD" (1993) and "The Routledge Encyclopedia of the Blues" (2005).