Review: 'Church House Blues' by Crystal Shawanda

By Martine Ehrenclou

Powerhouse blues vocalist, deeply soulful singer-songwriter, Crystal Shawanda releases Church House Blues via True North Records on April 17^th, a follow up to her 2018 album, Voodoo Woman.

It’s no overstatement to say Crystal Shawanda channels the spirit and strength of blues greats such as Etta James and Koko Taylor but with a contemporary twist. The 10 original tracks on Church House Blues (seven co-written by Crystal) are a testament to her powerful vocal and songwriting abilities.

This is one fiery, exhilarating singer who digs deep. With just enough scratch to her voice to make you think momentarily of Janis Joplin, Crystal grips each song with her own unique style. Most of the songs on Church House Blues are just as good as she is, and they’re well written stories, musically catchy and conveyed by a singer whose time has come.

Originally signed as a Country artist to RCA records in 2007, Crystal produced a Top 20 hit on Country radio and reached Top 20 on the Billboard Country Album Chart. Following her stint at RCA with an independent effort, Just Like You, she garnered a Juno Award and performed at President Barack Obama’s inauguration in 2013.

But the blues came calling and Crystal couldn’t resist their pull. Church House Blues is her fourth blues recording and it’s a true success by a singer who couldn’t be more suited for this genre. “I veered towards the blues because that’s the music I love to sing,” Crystal says. “The whole time I was singing Patsy Cline on stage, I was singing Etta James at home.”

Produced by her husband, co-writer, and guitarist Dewayne Strobel, Crystal Shawanda is backed by a cast of all-star musicians including Dave Roe on bass (Johnny Cash, Yola), the McCrary Sisters on backing vocals, Dana Robbins on sax (Delbert McClinton’s band), and Peter Keys (Lynyrd Skynyrd) on keyboards.

Upon listening to opening track “Church House Blues,” the first thing that came to mind was, ‘What–a–voice.” Crystal rocks the blues and delivers superb storytelling with a spirited, strong presence backed by outstanding musicianship from the band. The lyrics are interesting with comparisons of certain church services to performances inside a roadhouse. An indigenous musician who grew up listening to the blues on the Wikwemikong reserve on an island in Ontario, Canada, this track has special meaning to her.

“Evil Memory” is a scorcher-of-a-blues tune about a cheating, no good lover. Crystal kills it on this–incredibly soulful with the vocal chops to back it up, and then some. It’s a rare singer who elicits chills. I had to search for her earlier Country tunes to see what brought this talented singer to the present. All I can say is that Crystal Shawanda was born to sing the blues.

Listen to “Church House Blues”

There are some vocalists who just take charge of a song and claim it. They have an innate wisdom about how to deliver a song that makes people feel something. This is Crystal Shawanda. Plus she’s graced with a true inner strength that fuels her command of a song. You’ll hear that on “Rather Be Alone,” a slower blues track with rockin’ guitar riffs and one heck of an organ solo. She’s all attitude and grit, singing about a relationship that’s just plain wrong.

With syncopated groove, “Blame It On The Sugar” is about the temptation of certain romantic attractions. It’s a fun, up-tempo tune with gospel-esque backing singers, tasty guitar, and all around great musicianship from every member of the band, something that holds true for the entire album.

Highly recommended.