Cyndi Lauper
'Memphis Blues'
(released Monday 27th September 2010)
Iconic performer and musical chameleon Cyndi Lauper will release Memphis Blues on September 27th on Downtown Records. The collection of blues cover songs, recorded this March at Electraphonic Studios in Memphis, Tennessee, features appearances by such great artists as B.B. King, Jonny Lang, Allen Toussaint, Ann Peebles and Charlie Musselwhite.
"This is the album I've wanted to make for years," said Cyndi Lauper. "All of these beautiful songs, and all of the great players on the album, were carefully chosen because I've admired them my entire life. And I knew from the moment Alan Toussaint hit the keys in 'Shattered Dreams' that we were creating something really special."
The feel of 'Memphis Blues' is gritty and full of life. It bristles with the kind of energy that earmarked the hit singles invented on the fly at Stax Records, the historic and spiritual prototype for Electraphonic, where musicians of multiple generations work side-by-side creating soul-driven anthems for the brokenhearted, the unrequited, and the overlooked.
Cyndi Lauper, who traveled from New York to Memphis to set up camp at Electraphonic Recording Studio, assembled a team of crackerjack session players to cut the way she knew this record had to be done: live, analog, with Cyndi Lauper herself calling out arrangements on the studio floor.
Produced by Scott Bomar and mixed by longtime collaborator William Wittman, 'Memphis Blues' features appearances by a veritable dream team of blues and soul greats, including harmonica master Charlie Musselwhite, vocalist Ann 'I Can't Stand the Rain' Peebles, brilliant Crescent City organist Allen Toussaint, and hotshot guitar heroes Jonny Lang and legend B.B. King. 'Memphis Blues' session players include Stax veterans Lester Snell and Skip Pitts, and Hi Rhythm Section alums Leroy Hodges and Howard Grimes, studio careerists who cut their teeth recording with the likes of Isaac Hayes and Al Green. Along with the punctuating blasts provided by trumpeter Marc Franklin, baritone saxophonist Kirk Smother, and tenor saxman Derrick Williams, they provided a steadfast foundation for Cyndi Lauper's impeccable vocals. |
