The
blues started out Southern, rural, and acoustic but ended up becoming Northern, urban, and electric -- and things went full circle when bluesmen on the Southern chitlin' circuit became influenced by the music that was coming from
John Lee Hooker in Detroit and
Chess Records in Chicago. But Windy City residents haven't forgotten the
blues' Southern heritage, which is why harmonica player
Pierre Lacocque has been calling his Chicago-based
blues/
soul band
Mississippi Heat. Don't let the name
Mississippi Heat fool you;
Lacocque's respect for Mississippi's contributions to the
blues doesn't erase the fact that what transpires on this live CD is mostly
electric Chicago blues (with some occasional detours into
soul).
Mississippi Heat has had its share of lineup changes since
Lacocque formed the band in 1992; on
One Eye Open (which was recorded at
Rosa's Lounge in Chicago on July 18, 2005), the participants include, among others, guitarist/singer
Lurrie Bell and singer
Inetta Visor (a gutsy, big-voiced belter along the lines of
Koko Taylor,
Etta James, and
Big Time Sarah).
Lacocque, as usual, is on harmonica -- and he has his share of inspired moments on the albums' vocal offerings as well as instrumentals that include the invigorating
"Rosa's Strut" and the
Eddie Harris standard "Listen Here" (which
Lacocque takes out of
soul-jazz and places firmly in the
electric Chicago blues).
Visor, meanwhile, makes the sparks fly whether she is performing straight-up
blues or making some
soul detours on
Aretha Franklin's
"Rock Steady" and
"Cool Twist" (a
Lacocque original that might have been a hit if
Mississippi Heat had been around in the mid-'60s). Although nothing groundbreaking occurs,
One Eye Open: Live at Rosa's Lounge, Chicago is an enjoyable document of
Lacocque's band on-stage during the summer of 2005. ~ Alex Henderson
![Born Under A Bad Sign [Stax Remasters]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0888072343344_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg "Born Under A Bad Sign [Stax Remasters]")
