LIZ MANDEVILLE

Red Top

Earwig Records

By Eric Steiner

On her fourth Earwig Records release, Red Top, Liz Mandeville has dropped her married name (Greeson), but has picked up a renewed, supercharged sense of sass and self.  Not that one of the most assertive blueswomen who’s ever picked up a pen or a guitar might need an additional dose of confidence, far from it.  I first experienced Liz Mandeville live on the Best Buy Stage at the 2005 Chicago Blues Festival and was immediately hooked!  Whether she plays her blue acoustic guitar or plugged-in Strat, Liz’s live shows are a force of nature worthy of comparisons to blueswomen like Katrina or Rita of the hurricane variety.

Liz’ show on the Front Porch Stage at 2008’s Chicago Blues Festival was a bright spot of that event’s 25^th Silver Anniversary, and she showcased many cuts from Red Top, including “Illinois National Guard Blues,” a song which anyone with loved ones in the military can relate to.  My Red Top favorites include the sax-drenched “Guilty of Rockin’ All Night,”  “Red Top” the opening title cut, and “Corner Bar Blues,” a paean to friends who might indulge a bit too much.  I’m generally not a prude, but I could have done without “Spanky Butt;” still I’m sure that it’s a real late-night crowd pleaser at Liz’s live shows.

Liz has some world-class friends helping her out on Red Top.  Eddie Shaw of the Wolf Gang sits in on sax as does Rodney Brown, Twist Turner takes a turn on the drum kit, and long-time Albert Collins’ sideman Allen Batts sits in on keyboards.  

This talented singer/songwriter has spent many a Blue Monday as an artist-in-residence at Kingston Mines with Earwig label-mate John Primer, and together, they’ve put on some of the best blues parties of the year at this venerable Chicago blues venue. 

I’m going to host a blues house party at my home in Edmonds, Washington (18 miles north of Seattle) next month for members of the Washington Blues Society.  Red Top will be one of the CDs on my playlist, along with another exceptional CD from Liz, Ready to Cheat.  I can’t give higher praise to any blues artist than to introduce my friends to Liz’s music, which will be a privilege and a pleasure.

Eric Steiner is President of the Washington Blues Society (www.wablues.org) and a Blues Supporter member of The Blues Foundation (www.blues.org).

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