Misty Blues
By Mike O’Cull
Massachusetts-based blues crew Misty Blues have been making magic out of music for the last 22 years and they continue that proud tradition on the group’s new record One Louder. Set to make the scene January 28th, 2022 on Lunaria Records, One Louder is the band’s 11th release in their long and illustrious career. The group has made a name for itself by slinging an unrelentingly entertaining roots sound that melds old-school blues with jazz, funk, gospel, and soul into a style that makes friends everywhere it goes. To that end, Misty Blues has recorded and performed with important artists including Joe Louis Walker, who guests on One Louder, and Charles Neville, and opened for Tab Benoit, John Primer, Albert Cummings, and Michael Powers. This new set should continue to forge connections and open doors for this talented outfit and is required listening for all blues fans in 2022.
Misty Blues is the brainchild of band leader, vocalist, and cigar box guitarist Gina Coleman, a roaring musical tornado with an indescribable presence. She came to the blues while playing a gospel singer in the Williamstown Theatre Festival production of A Raisin In The Sun. That performance caught the attention of major stars Mandy Patinkin and Gwyneth Paltrow, who encouraged Coleman to move in a blues direction. She wasted no time in forming Misty Blues, a band that carries on in the spirit of both female and male blues artists of the genre’s early decades with an upfront modern energy that’s simply unbeatable. The current Misty Blues lineup of Seth Fleischmann (guitar), Bill Patriquin (bass, trumpet, vocals), Benny Kohn (keyboards, vocals), Rob Tatten (drums, trombone, vocals), and Aaron Dean (saxophone, vocals) play together like a house on fire and get behind Coleman’s big, brassy voice in a way that you’ll quickly get hooked on.
Coleman wastes no time and immediately demonstrates the expressive power of her voice on the gospel-soaked opener “A Long Hard Way.” Her emotional range is a mile wide and her articulations swing from a comforting whisper to a gravelly bawl with hard-clipped end consonants that speaks volumes. Behind her, the band follows the ebb and flow of her performance, always being exactly where she needs them to be. It’s a wonderful track that will touch your heart.
“Freight Car” is a stomping, backside-shaking blues that drives, whines with slide guitar, and throws in a couple quick free jazz breaks in the middle, just to see who’s paying attention. Again, Coleman blows minds with the enormity of her voice, letting it fly with a ferocity that could rock any room in the world. She’s an epic focal point for the band and practically explodes with low-toned soul and authenticity. Fans of Howlin’ Wolf and Big Maybelle should be falling in love by this point. Guitarist Justin Johnson makes a guest appearance here, too, which can’t help but raise the temperature of the proceedings.
The hard swing of “This Life We Live” proves the strength of Misty Blues as an ensemble. Coleman is fierce, as expected, and so is the rest of the band. The rhythm section positively jumps, the guitars, keys, and horns stretch out, and a rocked-up Big Band sensibility carries the day. It’s one of the album’s most sparkling moments and is not to be missed.
“Hit You Back” is chilled out, soulful, and speaks of freedom. The spacious arrangement gives voices and instruments plenty of room to get down and they do. Coleman pulls back a little on this one, leaning more on the smooth side of her gift. It’s a hopeful song that will connect with a lot of listeners.
Other peak experiences on One Louder include the funky “I’m A Grinder” and the mystical “Take A Long Ride,” which features a cool cameo by Joe Louis Walker. The whole album snaps from end to end and should put Misty Blues on radar screens around the globe. This is fine work from an outstanding band and you need it in your life. Highly recommended.
Listen to “Take A Long Ride” (feat. Joe Louis Walker)
Misty Blues website
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