Montrealers love when one of our own makes it on a big scale. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Sass Jordan was a big deal. She had huge hits here with singles like “Tell Somebody”, “Make You a Believer” and “I Want to Believe”. She won Juno Awards and was even featured on the massive soundtrack for the film The Bodyguard on a duet with Joe Cocker. Then, though she continued to record, she never really once again attained the heights she did then. That does not mean, however, that she did not release some great music. Now without the pressures from her label to move massive amounts of records, Sass has been able to record her music genre crush – blues. A cover album filled with songs by some of the biggest names in blues. This is surprisingly a first as over the course of her career has stuck mostly in the rock genre. Once you hear her voice on a blues track you will see it is a marriage made in heaven. Eight tracks, one of which is an original that she co-wrote with her husband titled “The Key”, in which you get cuts by Willie Dixon, Rory Gallagher, Elmore James and Freddie King. What I love is that although these are all songs by men she does not change the lyrics of the gendered variety. Soundwise it is everything you would expect – filled with that distinctive raspy voice and a rather raw, organic feel to the songs. It is short at only 33 minutes long but every moment is music magic. Thank the gods of music as this is her first album (ninth overall) in almost a decade. Here’s to hoping it signals more regular releases.

Track Listings:

  1. Leaving Trunk
  2. My Babe
  3. Am I Wrong
  4. One Way Out
  5. Palace Of The King
  6. The Key
  7. Too Much Alcohol
  8. Still Got The Blues