When Swedish-Iranian singer Jasmine Kara relocated to New York, she found her homeland of the soul – not to mention an influential advocate in music-biz legend Marshall Chess, who considered her "the real deal".
He's not wrong: on the album he executive-produced for her, Kara's powerful, piercing voice harks back to the raw blues delivery of Etta James and Koko Taylor, while the arrangements blending big, brash horns with slippery slide-guitar parts furnish the perfect settings, split between Motown/Sue-style soul stompers, and grittier R&B reflecting Chess's own history. Highlights include a reworked, uptempo cover of Little Walter's "My Babe",and "Try My Love Again" recalibrated as energetic blue-beat ska. An exhilarating debut.
DOWNLOAD THIS Fire; Ain't No More Room; Try My Love Again; In The Basement
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