By Mike O’Cull
2019 Blues Music Award winner Annika Chambers is ready to make the scene with her third and latest studio record Kiss My Sass, released August 9th, 2019 on VizzTone Label group. Chambers won her BMA for Best Soul Blues Female Artist and happily keeps to the same sort of vintage R&B-infused style on this new set. Produced by Larry Fulcher, Richard Cagle, and Tony Braunagel, Kiss My Sass situates Chamber’s dynamic and expressive vocal abilities on top of an outstanding band and funky uptown arrangements and is an impressive showcase of all that she can do.
Annika came up singing in church but didn’t fully grasp the gift of talent she’d been given until she was grown and serving in the U.S. Army. A performance of the National Anthem kicked off her career, made her a favorite on her base, and led to her joining a touring group that entertained troops in Kosovo and Iraq. After returning to Houston in 2011, she formed Annika Chambers and The House Rules Band and got to work. Her first album, Making My Mark, did exactly that and earned her a BMA nomination in 2015 for Best New Artist. Her second effort, Wild & Free, took her even higher, debuting at Number Seven on the Billboard Blues Chart. She has toured steadily and appeared at the Minnesota Bayfront Blues Festival, the Las Vegas Blues Bender, the Gloucester Blues Festival, the Mississippi Delta Blues Festival, and other events in Europe and South America.
The first cut, “Let The Sass Out,” is an instantly-infectious shuffle that puts Chambers’ take-no-mess vibe and persona squarely upon the front burner. It’s a tough-talking number meant for everyone who says “sir” and “ma’am” for a living. Annika has an amazingly live feel in the studio environment and comes across as loose, cool, and confident. “That’s What You Made Me” is a funky and strong statement to the man who made the singer a crazy jealous woman, something she never wanted to be. “I’m not the girl I used to be,” Chambers sings and you’ll absolutely believe her.
“Brand New Day” is a somber, minor key slow jam that expresses the anguish and fatigue of living in the modern world. The arrangement goes down without any drums, which is a brave but effective production choice, as it keeps the dynamics down low and lets Chambers keep listener focus on the words she’s singing. Her final high note that closes out the tune is especially delicious. “World Of Hurt” follows and kicks things back up with a driving soul groove with more than a little Memphis to it and another hard luck story of love and betrayal. Chambers shouts down the one who took her “from Heaven on Earth to a world of hurt” and unites with her band to unleash the sound of all that pain.
Kiss My Sass ends with the low-key resonator guitar-based “I Feel The Same,” an emotive duet with Canadian artist Paul DesLauriers. It’s a great last song that imparts a coming-home feel that’s perfect for when the song appears. Annika and Paul make magic together and put much heart into the tracks minimalistic arrangement.
Annika Chambers makes a strong statement as an artist on Kiss My Sass. It’s her third time out and she’s clearly become a fully-developed recording artist with a strong sense of who she is. She never over-sings or sells herself too hard, preferring to let her talent, band, and choice of material present her case for her. She feels like someone ready to attract a much larger audience and one spin of this record will make that readily apparent. Soak your spirit in this one tonight.
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